Staff Correspondent

A Dhaka court Thursday sentenced former member of the Public Service Commission Prof Md Mahfuzur Rahman to 13 years imprisonment for illegally amassing wealth and concealing wealth information from the Anticorruption Commission.

The court also fined Mahfuzur Tk 50 lakh and told him failure to pay the fine would result in a further two years rigorous imprisonment.

Staff Correspondent

A Dhaka court Thursday sentenced former member of the Public Service Commission Prof Md Mahfuzur Rahman to 13 years imprisonment for illegally amassing wealth and concealing wealth information from the Anticorruption Commission.

The court also fined Mahfuzur Tk 50 lakh and told him failure to pay the fine would result in a further two years rigorous imprisonment.

Judge AKM Arifur Rahman of Special Judge's Court-10, located in the Sangsad Bhaban complex, handed down the sentence. The authorities have so far been unable to track down Mahfuzur and his punishment will come into effect from the day he surrenders or is arrested.

The sentence comprises two terms of three and ten years for concealing information a wealth statement to the ACC and amassing illegal wealth respectively.

The jail terms are to run consecutively. In passing his verdict the judge said: "The accused was an honourable professor working with a constitutional body like the PSC." "He should have surrendered himself, showing respect to law.

But instead he choose to abscond. That is why the court gave him exemplary punishment." State counsel Md Khurshid Alam Khan told bdnews24.com that the verdict marked the first time a PSC member has been punished for corruption.

The court also ordered Mahfuzur to forfeit illegally earned wealth worth Tk 5.02 crore to the state. The case was filed by the ACC on Sept 23 last year with Kafrul Police Station. According to the case details, Prof Mahfuzur Rahman earned wealth worth Tk 4.95 crore beyond his known sources of income.

The ACC submitted the charge sheet in the case on Feb 13 this year. It said Mahfuzur submitted a wealth statement of Tk 99.20 lakh to the ACC. However, following an investigation it was found that his assets stood at Tk 5.42 crore.