Prominent contractor Golam Kibria Shamim, also known as GK Shamim, has been sentenced to five and a half years in prison in a case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) regarding the accumulation of illegal and unexplained wealth.
The verdict was delivered by Judge Mohammad Rabiul Alam of the Special Judge Court-4 in Dhaka on Thursday.
In addition to the jail term, he was fined Tk1 lakh, with an additional three months of imprisonment in case of failure to pay the fine. The court's bench assistant, Belal Hossain, provided this information.
However, GK Shamim's mother, Ayesha Akter, was acquitted as the charges against her were not proven.
In reaction to the verdict, ACC prosecutor Mir Ahmed Ali Salam said that the court sentenced the defendant after proving the corruption charges brought by the ACC.
"We were able to prove the money laundering charges, but the court acquitted him of those allegations. We are satisfied with the verdict, and the commission will decide whether to appeal the judgment," he added.
The case was scheduled for a verdict on February 17. On that day, GK Shamim's lawyer, Shahinur Islam, requested a re-examination of the investigation officer, which the court granted.
Consequently, the verdict was postponed, and the officer was cross-examined. After hearing the defense, presenting the defense testimony and arguments, the verdict was rescheduled for March 20.
Previously, on October 21, 2019, the ACC filed a case against Shamim and his mother, Ayesha Akter, accusing them of acquiring illegal assets worth Tk2,970,899,000.
The complaint was filed by the ACC's Deputy Director, Mohammad Salahuddin, at the ACC's Integrated District Office-1.
On January 17, 2021, the ACC's Deputy Director and investigation officer, Mohammad Salahuddin, submitted the charge sheet in court. On October 18, 2022, the court framed charges against them, and formal proceedings began.
According to the complaint, GK Shamim became the owner of Tk50 crore worth of immovable property by the 2018-2019 fiscal year. Although the tax records indicated a figure of Tk402,140,744, the ACC could not find legitimate sources for the total amount.
Additionally, a cash amount of Tk18,128,000 was recovered from Shamim’s residence, along with Tk747,000 in foreign currency. The ACC also found fixed deposits (FDs) worth Tk165 crore in the names of Shamim and his mother, Ayesha Akter.
Further assets, including shares in GKB & Company, vehicles, and FDs worth Tk36.35 crore were also found to have no valid source of origin.
The investigation revealed that there was no legitimate source of income for Shamim's mother either.
In total, the ACC filed the case for illegal acquisition of wealth amounting to Tk2,970,899,000.
