11 former leaders of Dhaka Bar Association sued over fraudulence

Cases were filed against 11 former leaders of Dhaka Bar Association (DBA) today on charges of criminal breach of trust, cheating, and fraud.

Three incumbent leaders of the DBA filed three separate cases with the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Mehedi Hasan, said Khorshed Miah Alam, president of the bar association.

After recording statements of the complainants, the court issued arrest warrants against the 11 accused.

The fraud charge includes dishonestly inducing deliver of property -- which means to fool someone into handing over their assets.

The 11 accused are former DBA presidents Abdur Rahman Howlader, Mizanur Rahman Mamun and Mahbubur Rahman; former general secretaries Mohamad Anwar Shahadat Shawn, Khandakar Golam Kibria Jobayer and Firojur Rahman Montu; former senior vice-president Abul Kalam Mohd Akhter Hossain; former vice-president Sree Prana Nath; and former treasurers Omar Farukh, Bibi Fatema, and Mohammod Nur Hossain.

According to the court  records, DBA assistant general secretary Syed Mohammed Mainul Hossain Apu filed the case against Abdur Rahman, Shawn, Akhter and Omar Farukh for misappropriating Tk 11,20,511, while its treasurer Abdur Rashid Mollah sued Mamun, Jobayer, Prana Nath and Fatema for misappropriating Tk 8,30,41,290.

DBA senior assistant general secretary Juhirul Hasan Mukul filed another case against Mahbubur, Montu, and Nur Hossain for misappropriation of Tk 2,46,35,401.

Cases were filed over allegations of embezzling funds allocated for the construction of Annex Buildings 3 and 4 of the bar association, according to Khorshed, a leader of pro-BNP lawyers' group.