Tax Evasion Case Against Babar

Hearing of charge framing adjourned

11 April 2010, 18:00 PM

Court Correspondent

A Dhaka court yesterday adjourned until May 25 the hearing of charge framing against detained former state minister for home Lutfozzaman Babar in a tax evasion case. Judge Nasiruddin Mahmud of the Special Judge's Court-5 passed the order after defence lawyers submitted a petition seeking adjournment of the charge hearing of the case. In the petition, Advocate ABM Sharfuddin Khan Mukul said their client would file an appeal with the higher court for quashing the proceedings of the case. So, they prayed for adjournment of the charge hearing. On February 14, Deputy Tax Commissioner Syed Zakir Hossain of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) filed the case against Babar, now in police custody on various criminal charges. NBR, in its case statement, mentioned that Babar, director of Master Electronics Industries Limited, evaded Tk 2,65,44,122 in income tax on his income of Tk 8,06,80,122 from his firm for the fiscal years from 1999-2000 to 2008-2009. Babar repeatedly provided false information about his real income and expenditure, even though he was an influential person and a leading businessman, the NBR said in the statement. The former state minister was earlier arrested on charges of amassing a huge amount of money through illegal means during the last caretaker government. Later, he was sentenced to 17 years' rigorous imprisonment for possessing illegal firearms and ammunition. He was shown arrested in the August 21, 2004 grenade attack case and remanded several times. He was also shown arrested and taken on remand for interrogation for his alleged involvement in the killing of former finance minister Shah AMS Kibria.