A Dhaka court on Tuesday sentenced former Sonali Bank principal officer Naimul Islam to 17 years and three others to five years in jail in a case filed over the embezzlement of Tk 1.19 crore.
Judge Iqbal Hossain of Dhaka Special Judge's Court 5 gave Naimul the prison sentence and slapped him with a fine of Tk81 lakh and Tk50,000 under two sections of the relevant laws.
The other convicts are former Sonali Bank accountant Rafiqul Islam, Md Al-Amin and Mrs Lipi Begum. They were also fined Tk 81 lakh each.
Police produced Naimul and Rafiqul before the court, while Al-Amin, out on bail, also appeared there. After the announcement of the verdict, they were sent to jail with a conviction warrant.
Meanwhile, the court issued an arrest warrant for Lipi as she was not present.
According to the case statement, from December 26, 2017 to June 21, 2018, the accused on different dates instead of depositing the money to specified accounts, fraudulently embezzled Tk1,19,19,204 by transferring it to four accounts by conspiring with each other.
On June 23, 2018, former Sonali Bank WAPDA Building corporate branch deputy general manager Md Moniruzzaman filed a case at Motijheel police station.
Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Deputy Assistant Director Md Abul Kalam Azad pressed charges against the four on February 19, 2020.
Later, on March 8, 2022, the trial of the accused started; Lipi Begum was tried in absentia.