Babar gets 8 years in jail for corruption

A Dhaka court has sentenced Lutfozzaman Babar, former state minister for home affairs in the BNP-led four-party alliance government during 2001-2006, to eight years in jail in a graft case.

On Tuesday Judge Mohammad Shahidul Islam of the Dhaka Special Judge Court-7 handed down the verdict, finding him guilty of amassing illegal wealth of Tk7.05 crore and concealing this information.

The court fined Babar Tk10,000. In default of payment , he has to spend three more months behind bars.

It also ordered confiscation of Tk6.79 crore in his bank account against the graft charge.

The verdict was delivered in the presence of Babar.

He was earlier sentenced to death in 2014 as the principal accused, in the 10-truck arms haul case.

Later, in 2018, Babar was given another death sentence for his planning and execution of the 21 August grenade attack using Huji militants.

He has been in jail since July, 2007 and is now in the condemned cell of Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj after he was sentenced to death in 2014 in the 10-truck arms haul case.

The former state-minister was sentenced to imprisonment for 17 years on 30 October 2007 for possessing illegal firearms and ammunition.

Since he has been in jail in this case since 26 July, 2007, the court said his most recent jail term of 8 years would be concurrently deducted from the time he has already served up until now.

Babar's lawyers said they would appeal to the High Court against the judgment.

Earlier on 4 October, the judge set 12 October (Tuesday) to deliver his verdict after hearing arguments against Babar and the testimonies of prosecution witnesses.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed this case against Babar with Ramna Model Police Station on 13 January, 2008, accusing him of amassing illegal wealth of around Tk7.05 crore.

On 16 July, 2008, Rupok Kumar Saha, deputy assistant secretary of ACC, submitted a chargesheet against him.

In the next month, a Dhaka court indicted the former state minister in this case.

Babar was arrested from his Gulshan residence in Dhaka on May 28, 2007.

Lutfozzaman Babar was known as one of the most powerful persons after the formation of the BNP-led coalition government in 2001. During his tenure as state minister for home affairs, he was at the forefront of discussions.