BNP MP Harunur Rashid gets 5-year jail in graft case

A Dhaka court today sentenced Chapainawabganj-3 lawmaker Md Harunur Rashid to five-year rigorous imprisonment and fined him Tk50 lakh in a graft case.

Dhaka 4th Special Judge Shaikh Nazmul Alam passed the order as the court found him guilty for selling Hummer SUV brought in the country using tax-free facility in 2005.

The court also sentenced accused Ishtiaq Sadek to three-year imprisonment and fined him Tk40 lakh and handed down two-year imprisonment to another accused Md Enayetur Rahman (Bappy) and fined him Tk1 lakh.

The BNP lawmaker was present during the pronouncement of the judgement and was later sent to Keraniganj jail with conviction warrant. The other two convicts are yet to be arrested.

According to the law, no vehicle brought under tax-free facility can be sold within three-years of import. But the BNP leader sold the vehicle to car trader Sadek, who later sold that to Enayetur.

Police on March 7, 2007, filed the case with Tejgaon Police Station and charge sheet was filed against the three on July 18, 2007. The court also framed charges against them on the same year.

The court today came up with the judgement after examining 17 witnesses on different occasion.