A Dhaka court has sentenced Abdul Malek, the former driver of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), to 13 years of rigorous imprisonment for amassing wealth beyond his known sources of income.
On Sunday (23 March), Judge Zakaria Hossain of Dhaka Special Judge Court-6 delivered the verdict.
Malek received a 10-year prison sentence along with a fine of Tk100,000 for illegally acquiring assets disproportionate to his declared income.
In default of payment, he will have to serve an additional six months in prison.
Additionally, he was sentenced to three years of rigorous imprisonment for concealing wealth information, with another fine of Tk100,000, failing which he will face another six months of imprisonment.
Furthermore, the court ordered the confiscation of Tk15,031,810 worth of illegally obtained assets in favour of the state.
Since the two sentences will run concurrently, Malek will serve a maximum of 10 years behind bars, according to Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) prosecutor Asaduzzaman Rana.
Prior to the verdict, Malek was brought to the courtroom from prison.
Following the pronouncement, he was returned to custody with the execution of his sentence order.
Meanwhile, in a separate case against Malek and his wife, Nargis Begum, concerning illicit wealth accumulation, the court deferred the verdict announcement to 16 April as the ruling was not yet prepared.
ACC Assistant Director Syed Nazrul Islam filed the case on 14 February 2021 against Malek and his wife for acquiring immovable and movable assets worth Tk11,092,050, inconsistent with their disclosed sources of income.
On the same day, Islam filed another case against Malek alone for concealing information on assets worth Tk9,353,648 and acquiring wealth amounting to Tk15,031,810 through fraudulent means.
Following an investigation, the ACC submitted charge sheets in both cases on 27 October 2021.
On 11 May 2022, the court framed charges against Malek, initiating the trial proceedings.
Earlier, on 20 September 2021, Malek had been sentenced to 30 years in prison under the Arms Act.
