Court Correspondent :A Dhaka court yesterday (Tuesday) sentenced former Dhaka City Corporation Mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka to 13-year imprisonment in a case filed against him for amassing Tk 9.96 crore beyond his known source of income. Judge Abu Ahmed Jamadar of the Special Judge Court-3 of Dhaka pronounced the verdict in the absence of Khoka on Tuesday at about 11.30 am. The court awarded him three-year imprisonment with a fine of Tk one lakh under Section 26(2) of the Anti-Corruption Act 2004. If Khoka fails to pay the fine, he will have to suffer one month more in the prison. Besides, Under Section 27(1) of the same act the court sentenced Khoka to 10-year imprisonment and fined him Tk one million. In default, he will suffer six months more in the prison. Both the punishments will continue simultaneously. The verdict also orders forfeiture of Sadeque Hossain Khoka’s movable and immovable wealth worth Tk 10 crore five lakh 21 thousand 832.54. The property includes a five storied building on five kathas of land at Gulshan worth Tk 2,47,60,700, agricultural land at Kaliakoir upazila in Gazipur and Rupganj upazila of Narayanganj measuring 100.1946 acres worth Tk 7,34,48,156.25 and Tk 23,12,976.29 of his bank account with Motijheel Branch of Habib Bank Limited.The punishment will be effective after the convict surrenders to the court on production of the convict in the court after his arrest. Khoka, who is also a Vice-Chairman of the opposition BNP, is at present in the USA. Mohammad Shamsul Alam, Assistant Commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission, filed the case with Ramna Police Station against Khoka, his wife, son and daughter on April 2, 2008 for concealing information about his wealth worth Tk 96.5 million. Later, he submitted the chargesheet against Khoka and his wife Ismat Ara on July 1, 2008. Later, the High Court issued a stay order on the trial proceedings against Khoka’s wife. On October 30, 2014, the court framed charges against Khoka showing him fugitive. The names of Khoka’s son Ishrak Hossain and daughter Sharika Sadeque were dropped from the chargesheet of the case. The court recorded the depositions of 42 witnesses to give the verdict. The date of the verdict was fixed on October 8 after the argument of the case came to an end. ACC lawyers advocates Mahmud Hossain and Md Rezaul Karim conducted the case on behalf of the state.
