'Illegal Wealth': Ex-minister Mosharraf indicted

A Dhaka court yesterday framed charges against former health minister and BNP leader Khondaker Mosharraf Hossain in a case filed for illegally amassing wealth worth Tk 9.1 crore and hiding wealth information from the Anti-Corruption Commission.

Mosharraf, now out on bail, pleaded not guilty and demanded justice after Judge Shamim Ahmed of Special Judge Court-8 read out the charges to him.

The judge fixed October 25 to begin the trial of the case.

On January 10 2008, Assistant Director of ACC Shafiul Alam filed the case against Mosharraf and his wife Bilkis Akhter Hossain with Ramna Police Station.

On September 17 of the same year, Deputy Assistant Director of ACC Aftab Hossain, who is also the investigation officer (IO) of the case, submitted the charge sheet to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court, showing 23 people as prosecution witnesses.

In the charge sheet, the IO mentioned that Mosharraf had illegally amassed wealth worth Tk 9,10,97,854 and concealed information of wealth worth Tk 4,31,51,801 from the commission.

But the ACC could not press charges against Mosharraf's wife Bilkis as the High Court had quashed the proceedings of the case brought against her.

Five more cases, including one for money laundering, are now pending in different Dhaka courts.