A Dhaka court on Thursday sentenced former Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Ward-9 councillor AKM Mominul Haque Sayeed to seven years in prison in a corruption case involving the acquisition of assets beyond his known sources of income.
Judge Hamidul Islam of Dhaka Special Judge Court-2 delivered the verdict.
ACC prosecutor SM Abul Kalam Azad confirmed the matter, saying Sayeed was sentenced to five years in prison for acquiring assets beyond his known sources of income and another two years for criminal misconduct.
The court also ordered the confiscation of Tk2.93 crore worth of seized assets and imposed a fine of Tk5.60 crore for acquiring assets beyond his known sources of income.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the case with its Dhaka-1 integrated district office on November 20, 2019, accusing Sayeed of illegally acquiring assets worth Tk4.47 crore. ACC Assistant Director Ataur Rahman Sarker filed the case.
According to the case statement, Sayeed abused his power to amass wealth through casino operations and other illegal businesses and activities, accumulating assets inconsistent with his known sources of income.
After completing the investigation, Sarker submitted the charge sheet to the court on April 17, 2022. The investigation found evidence of assets worth Tk5.50 crore beyond Sayeed 's known sources of income.
The court subsequently framed charges against him and began the trial. During the proceedings, it recorded testimony from all 13 prosecution witnesses.
Sayeed remained absconding throughout the trial and could not present his defence. The court delivered the verdict after hearing the arguments.