A Dhaka court on Monday acquitted six individuals, including the chief executive officer of Transcom Group, in a case alleging the embezzlement of 14,160 company shares through forged signatures and counterfeit stamps.
Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Mostafizur Rahman delivered the order on February 16 following a hearing.
In his ruling, the court said there was insufficient evidence to frame charges against the accused and discharged them from the case.
Those acquitted include Transcom Group CEO Simeen Rahman and her mother Shahnaz Rahman. The other accused are company director Md. Kamrul Hasan, Md. Mosaddek, Abu Yusuf Md. Siddique and Shamsuzzaman Patwary.
The accused, who had been out on bail, were present in court during the hearing.
Public Prosecutor Omar Faruk Faruqui, representing the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court, and Masud Ahmed Talukdar, counsel for the complainant, argued in favour of framing charges. However, the court ruled that the allegations lacked sufficient grounds to proceed.
During the hearing, the prosecution submitted that evidence of forgery and fraud had been found in the First Information Report (FIR), the charge sheet and the statements recorded under Section 161 of the Criminal Procedure Code. Prosecutors argued that the allegations would be substantiated through witness testimony and documentary evidence, and therefore sought the framing of charges against the accused.
On the other hand, defence lawyers Mohsin Mia, Khorshed Alam, convener of the Jatiyatabadi Ainajibi Forum’s Dhaka Bar Unit and Khorshed Miah Alam, president of the Dhaka Bar Association, pleaded for the discharge of the accused.
The defence contended that there were insufficient grounds to frame charges, arguing that even if charges were framed, the accused would ultimately be acquitted, resulting in a waste of the state’s time and resources. They therefore urged the court to discharge the accused from the case.
On February 22, 2024, Shahzreh Huq, the sister of Simeen Rahman Rahman, filed a case with Gulshan Police Station, listing Simeen Rahman as an accused.
.After completing the investigation, PBI Inspector Syed Sazedur Rahman submitted the charge sheet to the court on January 11. The charge sheet named six individuals — including Simeen Rahman as accused in connection with the case.