Hallmark chairman jailed for 3yrs

A Dhaka court today sentenced Chairman of Hallmark Jasmine Islam to three years’ rigorous imprisonment in a case filed against her for not submitting her wealth statement to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

Judge Md Akhtaruzzaman of Special Judges Court-5 handed down the jail sentence in presence of Jasmine Islam at the courtroom.

The anti-graft body, on December 12 in 2013, lodged the lawsuit with the capital's Ramna Model Police Station.

In the case statement, the commission said on November 13 of the same year served a notice on Jasmine, asking her to submit her wealth statement to the ACC within seven working days.

The deadline for submitting the statement was extended to December 4 on her appeal on November 24. But the Hallmark boss did not comply with the deadline.

On October 22 in 2014, the ACC pressed charges against Jasmine Islam in the case.

Jasmine, wife of Hallmark Group Managing Director Tanvir Mahmud, is charge-sheeted in all 11 cases lodged by the anti-graft watchdog in October 2012 on charges of misappropriating over Tk 1,568 crore of depositors' money.

The sum, which was funded loan meaning given in cash, is a part of the more than Tk 2,600 crore credit that the controversial group in collaboration with some dishonest Sonali Bank officials swindled out of the bank by using forged documents, according to the ACC investigation.