A Dhaka court today sentenced two former employees of Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Ltd to five years' rigorous imprisonment for taking Tk 5,000 as bribe from a sweater factory in 2007.

The duo are Md Kamruzzaman Sarkar, former deputy assistant engineer of Demra Titas Gas office, and its technician Md Abdur Rahim.

Judge Shaikh Nazmul Alam of the Special Judge Court-4 of Dhaka handed down the verdict in presence of Kamruzzaman while Rahim is on the run.

The court also fined them Tk 25,000 each, in default of which they will serve three more months in jail.

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

Earlier the prosecution and defence completed their arguments and the court recorded statements of seven prosecution witnesses, including the complainant of the case.

According to the prosecution, the two employees on June 14, 2007 took Tk 5,000 from a general manager of Nippon Sweaters Ltd at Chairman Market in Dakkhin Khan for giving connection of a gas line.

But they were caught red-handed while taking the bribe and a case was filed against them with Dakkhin Khan Police Station.

Md Zahin Hossain, an assistant director of the Anti-Corruption Commission, on May 8 of 2009 submitted a charge sheet against the two accused.

The court framed charges against them on September 17 the same year.