4 ex-Biman staff jailed for forgery

A Dhaka court today sentenced four former officials of Biman Bangladesh Airlines to different terms in jail in a case filed for misappropriating Tk 28.58 lakh by making forged bills and vouchers in 2001.

The convicts are: Mohammad Zinnah, former manager of Salary Section; MA Rob, former assistant manager of Cash and Banking; Harunur Rashid, former accounts superintendent of Salary Section; and Mir Abu Sayeed Taifuddin Chowdhury, former accounts superintendent.

Of them, Zinnah, Harun and Taifuddin were sentenced to seven years’ rigorous imprisonment while Rob was given five years in prison. Harun is still at large while the rest three convicts were present during the judgment announcement.

Zinnah, Harun and Taifuddin were fined Tk 25 each, in default of which they will have to suffer one year more in jail while Rob was fined Tk 15 lakh, in default of which he will serve another year.

Judge Shaikh Nazmul Alam of the Special Judge Court-4 of Dhaka handed down the sentence in presence of three of the convicts.

The punishment of the fugitive will be effective from the day of his arrest or surrender, the court said.

According to the prosecution, it was alleged that the accused in collusion with others made forged bills and vouchers sometime between July of 2001 and June of 2002 and withdrew over Tk 28.58 lakh and misappropriated it.

Later on September 5 of 2010, the Anti-Corruption Commission filed a case with Airport Police Station against the accused for their alleged involvement with misappropriating the money.

After an investigation into the matter, the ACC pressed charges against them on January 28 of 2016.