Shawkat Aziz Russell, son of late Partex Group founder-chairman M A Hashem, was sent to jail on Sunday after surrendering before a Dhaka court in a corruption case filed in 2017 over the allotment of plots under the Purbachal Residential Project.
Russell was sentenced to 14 years in prison in the case. He surrendered before the court of Judge Md Abdus Salam of Dhaka Special Judge Court-9 and sought bail, saying he intended to appeal against the verdict. The court rejected his bail application and ordered his imprisonment.
Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) prosecutor Khandaker Shamim Hossain confirmed the development.
On October 13, the same court sentenced 8 people, including Russell, to 14 years in prison each over the illegal allotment of 2 plots in Purbachal.
The other convicts are former Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) chairman Iqbal Uddin Chowdhury, former Rajuk members SD Fayez, AKM Wahedul Islam, SM Jafar Ullah, HM Zahurul Haque and Md Rezaul Karim Tarafder, and Ashfaq Aziz Rubel, another son of M A Hashem.
According to the verdict, Russell and Ashfaq were each sentenced to 7 years of rigorous imprisonment under Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947, and another 7 years under Section 409 of the Penal Code.
They were also fined Tk20 lakh each, with an additional year of imprisonment in default of payment.
The 6 former Rajuk officials received the same prison sentences and fines.
The court ordered the sentences to run concurrently, with time already spent in custody to be deducted from the prison terms. The accused were acquitted of charges under Section 420 of the Penal Code, as the allegations under that section could not be proved.
The court also ordered the cancellation and confiscation of 2 plots, numbered 011 and 013, each measuring 10 kathas, on Road 405 in Sector 1 of Purbachal. The plots had been allotted to Russell and Ashfaq.
The ACC filed the case on February 8, 2017, alleging that the 2 plots, measuring 20 kathas in total, had been allotted to the brothers through abuse of influence and collusion with Rajuk officials, causing financial losses to the state.
The case was filed by then ACC Deputy Assistant Director Silvia Ferdous.