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Published : 23 Mar 2025, 06:53 PM
A Dhaka court has sentenced Abdul Malek, a former driver of the Directorate General of Health Services, to 13 years in prison under two sections in a case over possessing wealth beyond known sources of income.
Judge Zakaria Hossain of sixth Dhaka Special Judge’s Court issued the sentencing on Sunday, said Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) prosecutor Asaduzzaman Rana.
The court deferred sentencing in another case of illegal assets against Malek and his wife Nargis Begum to Apr 16 due to the verdict not being ready.
Earlier, the court sentenced him to 30 years in prison in an arms case.
On Sunday, the ACC lawyer said that Malek had been sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined Tk 100,000 in the case related to acquiring wealth exceeding known sources, along with a six-month prison sentence in case of non-payment.
Under another section, Malek was jailed for three years with a fine of Tk 100,000 on charges of concealing information, along with a six-month prison sentence in case of failure to pay the fine.
Lawyer Rana said the court had ordered authorities to confiscate Tk 15.03 million acquired illegally by Malek.
Asaduzzaman Rana said that the court has ordered the confiscation of 1.5 crore 31 thousand 810 taka of Malek, which was illegally acquired, in favor of the state.
He added, however, that the sentences overlapped each other, so Malek would ultimately have to spend 10 years in prison.
Malek’s lawyer Shahinul Islam said he would move the High Court to appeal against the verdict
On Feb 15, 2021, the ACC brought the charges connected to illegal wealth in the two cases against Malek as the lone accused in one case, and along with his wife as suspect in another. An arms case was also lodged against Malek.
The allegations against Malek included acquiring Tk 15.03 million outside known income and concealing information about Tk 9.35 million.
According to the documents of the other case, Nargis possessed Tk 1.23 million, with only Tk 143.382 from it traced to legal sources. The remaining Tk 1.09 million has been alleged as counterfeit currency.
On Sept 20, 2021, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested Malek from his home in Kamarpara.
RAB said it had recovered a pistol, ammunition, and counterfeit currencies of Tk 150,000 in a raid on Malek's home. The arms case was lodged the day he was arrested.
After the trial in the arms case concluded, the court sentenced him to 30 years in prison under two sections. With the terms overlapping each other, he would have to serve 15 years in the case.
According to the case document, the DGHS driver Abdul Malek aka Badal was "very influential." He had been the president of the drivers' association working for the Bangladesh Government and the president of the workers union of the DGHS for 20-25 years.
He has illegally accumulated a massive amount of wealth through “transfer and employment business” and was also involved in counterfeit currency business, the case document says.
The day following Malek's arrest, the Anti-Corruption Commission said they have been investigating over 50 employees and workers including Malek, who are involved in "endless corruption and irregularities".
