Staff Reporter :
The government officially took over BNP leader Sadeque Hossain Khoka’s six-storey building in city’s Gulshan area on Sunday.
Earlier, the government had confiscated the building in Gulshan-2 and also 50 acres of land in Rupganj upazila of Narayanganj owned by Sadek Hossain Khoka, who was also a former DCC Mayor.
The estimated price of the house on five kathas of land (Plot No 9, Road No 72), is Tk 2 crore 47 lakh and 60 thousand.
On behalf of the Dhaka District Administration office, Hosne Ara, magistrate, took over the residence officially at about 12:30 pm. During the confiscation, the District Administration had asked the tenant to leave the residence immediately. But the tenant had sought one-month time to vacate the house. Later he left the building within the timeframe.
According to sources, a buying house had rented the house for foreign guests. The foreign guests who used to visit Bangladesh for buying garment accessories used to reside in the building.
Officials of the buying house said Sadeque Hossain Khoka has not yet returned their security money of taka 50 lakh. They contacted Sadeque Hossain Khoka on several times but did not get any response.
Talking to journalists, tenant’s lawyer advocate Zafrul Hassan Sharif said as one-month time expired on Sunday, they left the house
The government also confiscated about 50 acres of land in Taraboo and Golakandail areas in Rupganj owned by Khoka.
On 20 October last year, the Dhaka court sentenced the BNP leader to 13 years imprisonment for amassing illegal wealth and also ordered confiscation of whole of his illegal wealth.
The court had declared the verdict in connection with the case filed by the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) on charge of concealing information of wealth and illegally acquired assets as well as tax evasion.
Khoka has been in the US since May 2014 and the trial has been held in absentia.
He has been given a three years prison term and fined Tk 100,000 for providing false information on his assets. He would have to spend another month in jail if he fails to pay the fine.
Another 10 years rigorous imprisonment has been awarded to Khoka for concealing wealth. He has been fined Tk 10 lakh for this offence, failing to pay which would mean another six months in jail.
