Babar sentenced to 8 years in prison in illegal asset case

A special court has sentenced former State Minister for Home Affairs Lutfozzaman Babar to a total of eight years in prison for amassing illegal wealth and concealing wealth-related information.

Dhaka Special Judge’s Court-7 Judge Md Shahidul Islam on Tuesday handed down the verdict in the case started by the Anti-Corruption Commission, or ACC, against the former member of the BNP-Jamaat Alliance cabinet.

Babar received five years in prison over one charge and another three years over another. He was also fined Tk 10,000. Failure to pay the fine will be punished by an additional three years in prison.

The judge said Babar’s time in custody would count towards his prison sentence and so Babar, who has been in prison since Jul 26, 2007, has already completed the prison term in the case.

He is, however, still sentenced to death for his involvement in the 2004 grenade attack.

“Though the prison sentence in this case is complete, I will still appeal the verdict because it labels me a criminal,” Babar said after the verdict.

The ACC filed the case against Babar with Ramna Police Station on Jan 13, 2018, accusing him of amassing illegally earned assets worth over Tk 70 million in excess of those mentioned in his wealth statement to the anti-graft body.