Arrest warrant issued against former chairman of Agrabad Hotel

A court has issued an arrest warrant against three people including the former chairman of Agrabad Hotel for misappropriating Tk 50.85 million in a hoax LC scam.

Judge of the Chittagong Divisional Special District Court Ataur Rahman issued the warrant Thursday.

Anti Corruption Commission’s (ACC) lawyer Mezbah Uddin Chowdhury said, “The accused appealed for a stay on the case in 1998 after a charge sheet had been formed against them in 1996.”

Hearing began in April this year after the stay order was vacated in October 11, 2012.The court issued the arrest warrant as the accused failed to appear before the court six times since the stay order was withdrawn.

The three accused are former chairman and owner of Agrabad Hotel H Khorshed Ali, former AGM of Pubali Bank Md Jasim Uddin and Director of Gulf Bangladesh Associates Karimul Hassan.

Prosecutor Mezbah Uddin said, “Khorshed Ali issued two fake indents to import 8,000 metric tons of rice through Karimul Hassan's enterprise Gulf Bangladesh Associates on Dec 28, 1988. But Khorshed along with bank official Jasim Uddin misappropriated Tk 50.85 million instead of importing the rice."

Then ACC inspector Shafiqul Islam filed a case against five people at Kotwali Police Station on Dec 28, 1991. When the charge sheet was finally submitted, names of two persons---Amir Hossain and Salim Ullah--- were excluded from it.

In 1996, formal charges were finally brought against the three in court. When the accused appealed to a higher court, it issued a stay order on the case on Mar 10, 1998.