A Dhaka court has sentenced four individuals, including former officials of Sonali Bank, to various terms of imprisonment in a case involving the embezzlement of Tk4.2 crore in 1998.
Judge Abul Kashem of Dhaka's Special Judge Court-1 announced the verdict on Wednesday.
The convicted individuals are Azhar Hossain and Zahirul Haque Chowdhury, former principal officers at Sonali Bank's Baitul Mukarram branch, Cash Officer Nazim Uddin and a person named Manik Mia.
The court sentenced all four to five years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Tk6.5 crore each, with an additional year of imprisonment for non-payment.
Nazim Uddin, Zahirul Haque, and Azhar Hossain also received an additional five years of rigorous imprisonment under another section of the law.
The court ordered that the two sentences run concurrently, resulting in a total of five years of imprisonment for each individual.
The court instructed that the fine be deposited with the Bangladesh Bank by August 30, with proof of payment submitted to the court.
Failure to comply will allow the state to recover the amount from their movable and immovable assets, as per section 386 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
At the time of the verdict, Nazim Uddin and Manik Mia were present in court and were sent to jail following the sentencing.
The other two defendants remain fugitives. The court has issued arrest warrants and directives for their capture.
The case was filed on April 1, 1998, by ASM Abdul Matin Ansari, assistant general manager of Sonali Bank’s Baitul Mukarram branch, who reported that the defendants embezzled Tk 4,20,07,420 on or before March 31, 1998.
The case was investigated, and on June 21, 2009, ACC Assistant Director Abul Kashem submitted the charge sheet to the court.
On August 26, 2010, the court framed charges against the defendants and initiated the trial.
