Bribe to Cover Up Murder Case

Court asks CID to submit probe report by Aug 8

Case was filed against Shah Alam, Babar and two others

17 June 2010, 18:00 PM

Court Correspondent

A Dhaka court yesterday asked the Criminal Investigation Department to submit by August 8 the probe report of a bribery case filed against Bashundhara Group chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan alias Shah Alam, former state minister for home Lutfozzaman Babar and two others. The case was filed for taking and giving bribes to cover up the murder case of Humayun Kabir Sabbir, a director of Bashundhara Group. Metropolitan Magistrate SK Tofail Hasan passed the order as the Investigation Officer (IO) of the case failed to submit the probe report by yesterday. With this, the court gave the CID nine dates in total to submit the probe report. Two others accused in the case are director of Prime Bank and East West Property Development Pvt Ltd Abu Sufian and former BNP lawmaker Qazi Saleemul Huq Kamal. Earlier on May 2, the same court directed the IO to submit the report. Babar, who got bail in this case, now in jail custody in another case, was not produced before the court yesterday while a counsel represented Qazi Saleemul Huq Kamal. Abu Sufian was absent from the court without taking any step. An official of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court of Dhaka said he did not find any documents that show Shah Alam having bail in the case from any other courts or being on the run. On May 8, 2008, CID Assistant Superintendent Arman Ali filed the case with Ramna police station against the accused. Earlier on May 6, 2008, Anti-corruption Commission pressed charges against former prime minister Khaleda Zia's son Tarique Rahman, Babar, Saleemul Huq, Shah Alam and his two sons Shafiat Sobhan Sanvir and Sadaat Sobhan, Abu Sufian and Tarique's personal secretary Mia Nur Uddin Apu. The anti-graft body said the eight were involved in the bribery to save Sanvir from the charges of killing Sabbir. On July 5, 2006, Sabbir's body was found outside a building in Bashundhara residential area.