A Dhaka court has sentenced expelled Awami League leader Enamul Haque Enu and his brother Rupon Bhuiyan to seven years in jail in a case of money laundering.
Judge Badrul Alam Bhuiyan of Dhaka's Special Court-8 delivered the verdict on Tuesday.
In addition to the jail time, they have been fined Tk52.88 crore. Failure to pay the fine will result in an additional six months in jail.
Besides Enu and Rupan, six other accused in this case were acquitted as their involvement was not proven.
On September 24, 2019, RAB raided the residences of the then leaders of Awami League, Enu and Rupon, one of their employees and one of their friends, during the operation to stop casinos in Dhaka's sports clubs.
During that raid, around Tk5 crore in cash, eight kilograms of gold, and six firearms were recovered, which RAB identified as gambling assets at that time. Among these, Tk2 crore was recovered from the house of Enu's employee Abul Kalam Azad.
On April 25, 2022, the court sentenced 11 people, including Enu and Rupan, to seven years imprisonment in the case filed by RAB in Wari police station.
Enu and Rupan could not be reached during the operation, but law enforcement forces arrested them on January 13, 2020, from Keraniganj.
On August 31 that year, CID organized crime squad inspector Md Mehdi Maqsood filed another case against them. The verdict of that case was announced on Tuesday.
A total of 11 people were accused in this case, but three were acquitted.
A total of 10 people testified during the trial. After the argument hearing, the case reached the verdict stage on November 20.
Enu, a former director of Wanderer’s Club, and his brother are the kingpins behind introducing the casino business in Bangladesh, CID said.
Enu was one of the shareholders of Dhaka Wanderers Club and previously served as the vice president of Gandaria unit Awami League. His brother Rupon Bhuiyan was the general secretary of the unit.
The duo built properties in different parts of Dhaka with earnings from the casino through mutual consent and distribution of wealth among all the accused, according to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
