Purbachal plot scam: Eight, including ex-RAJUK chairman, jailed for 14 years

A Dhaka court on Tuesday sentenced eight people, including former Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) chairman Iqbal Uddin Choudhury, to 14 years in prison each for corruption in the allocation of plots under the Purbachal Residential Project. 

The convicts are former RAJUK chairman Iqbal Uddin Choudhury, former members SD Foyej, AKM Wahedul Islam, SM Jafar Ullah, HM Jahurul Haque and Md Rezaul Karim Tarafdar, and businessmen Shawkat Aziz and his brother Ashfaq Aziz.

Judge Md Abdus Salam of Dhaka Special Judge Court-9 delivered the verdict in the afternoon.

The court sentenced the six former RAJUK officials to seven years in prison and fined each 10 lakh taka under Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947. It handed them another seven-year prison term and a fine of 10 lakh taka each under Section 409 of the Penal Code.

Shawkat and Ashfaq were also sentenced to seven years in prison and fined 10 lakh taka each under Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 409 of the Penal Code. They were each given an additional seven-year term and fined another 10 lakh taka under Sections 409 and 109 of the Penal Code.

The court said the prison terms under the two counts would run concurrently and that time already spent in custody would be deducted from the sentences. The businessmen will each have to serve an additional year in prison for defaulting on payment of the fines under each set of charges.

The verdict also ordered the cancellation and confiscation in favour of the state of plots 011 and 013 on Road 405 in Sector 1 of Purbachal, which had been allotted to Shawkat and Ashfaq.

According to the case documents, the two businessmen had each deposited 1.5 lakh taka as security for a 10-katha plot. After failing to secure plots in the first phase, they withdrew their deposits on December 18, 2003, effectively cancelling their applications. They did not submit new applications.

However, at its eighth special board meeting of 2004, held on June 2, RAJUK allotted them two 10-katha plots, totalling 20 kathas, against the cancelled applications without any recommendation from the selection committee.

The board unlawfully decided that the plots could be allotted if the applicants returned their withdrawn deposits with 17% interest, according to the case documents. The move amounted to an abuse of power and deprived eligible applicants of the opportunity to obtain the plots.

Sylvia Ferdous, then an assistant director of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), filed the case on February 8, 2017. After completing the investigation, Mirza Zahidul Islam, then an ACC deputy director and the investigation officer, submitted the charge sheet on September 4, 2018.

The court subsequently framed charges against the accused and ordered the trial to begin. During the trial, all nine prosecution witnesses testified.