BNP’s DSCC mayor runner indicted

A Dhaka court yesterday framed charges against Ishraque Hossain, the BNP’s mayor candidate for Dhaka South City Corporation polls, in a case over not submitting his wealth statement to the Anti-Corruption Commission.

Ishraque, son of late former Dhaka mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka, pleaded not guilty and demanded justice after Judge Shaikh Nazmul Alam of the Special Judge Court-4 of Dhaka read out the charges.

Before framing the charges, the judge turned down Ishraque’s petition seeking exemption from the charges.

The court fixed February 9 for starting the trial of the case.

The accused faces up to three years in prison if convicted of the charges.

The BNP mayor nominee is now campaigning in the capital. Elections to the Dhaka south and north city corporations are scheduled to be held on January 30.

According to the prosecution, the ACC on September 1 in 2008 had served a notice on Ishraque asking him to submit his wealth statement within seven days from the date of receiving the notice. The notice was served during the tenure of the then caretaker government.

But Ishraque didn’t file the wealth statement. The graft watchdog on August 29 in 2010 lodged a case against him with Ramna Police Station.

On December 6 in 2018, ACC Deputy Director Jahangir Hossain pressed charges against the accused.

On May 5 last year, Judge KM Emrul Kayesh of the Senior Special Judge’s Court of Dhaka took cognisance of the charges in absence of Ishraque and issued an arrest warrant against him.

The accused secured bail from the court on December 9 last year after surrendering before it.