Ex-Chief Justice SK Sinha graft case verdict deferred to October 21

A Dhaka court has deferred the delivery of the verdict in a graft case filed against former Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha and 10 others to October 21.

As Dhaka Special Judge (Court-4) Sheikh Nazmul Alam Khan has gone on leave, acting judge Ali Hossain fixed October 21 as the new date on Tuesday .

Justice SK Sinha resigned from his post on November 11, 2017, from abroad. Now staying in the US, he has been shown absconding in the case for non-appearance.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in October 2018 said that they found evidence of fraud involving transactions of Tk4 crore borrowed with fake documents by two businessmen – Md Shahjahan and Niranjan Chandra Saha – from the Farmers Bank (now Padma Bank). 

Later, the money was deposited in Justice Sinha’s Sonali Bank account, showing that it was earned from selling off his house. The amount was later siphoned off.

On September 14, Judge Shaikh Nazmul Alam of the Dhaka Fourth Special Judge’s Court fixed the verdict date on Tuesday after completion of the closing arguments in the case.

During the trial, 21 prosecution witnesses testified before the court.

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The other accused include former Farmers Bank managing director AKM Shameem; first vice presidents Swapan Kumar Roy and Shafiuddin Askaree; Senior Executive Vice President Gazi Salauddin; Vice President M Lutful Haque; and the bank’s Entrepreneur Director Md Mahbubul Haque Chisty alias Babul Chisty.

The other accused are bank clients Md Shahjahan and Niranjan Chandra Saha; Niranan’s uncle Ranajit Chandra Saha; and Ranajit’s wife Santi Roy.

Among the accused, Shamim, Salahuddin, Swapan, Lutful, Shahjahan and Niranjan are now on bail. Babul Chisty is now behind the bars.

Four other accused – SK Sinha, Shafiuddin, Ranjit and Santri – did not appear before the court during the proceedings. 

On July 10, 2019, ACC Director Syed Iqbal Hossain filed the case with its Integrated District Office-1 in Dhaka.

On December 8 the same year, ACC Director Md Benjir Ahammad, also the investigation officer of the case, pressed charges against the accused.

The trial began on August 13 last year through framing of the charges against the 11 accused.