Bangladesh ruling party lawmaker jailed for concealing info in wealth statement

A lawmaker from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's ruling Bangladesh Awami League party was on Wednesday jailed three years and fined 1 million taka (12,772 U.S. dollars) for concealing information in his wealth statement to the country's anti-graft body.

Judge Abu Ahmed Jomadar of Special Judge's Court in Dhaka Wednesday handed over the verdict in presence of Abdur Rahman Bodi, the first Bangladesh lawmaker in power facing such punishment, signalling Hasina government's strong stance against corruption.

Upon hearing the verdict, the lawmaker who will have to serve in jail for three months more if he fails to pay the fine, burst into tears at the court docks.

His lawyer Mahbuba Ahmed told journalists that his client will move to the upper court against the verdict.

Bangladesh's Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on Aug. 21, 2014 filed a case against the lawmaker in Dhaka, accusing him of amassing huge wealth illegally and concealing information in his wealth statement.

According to his wealth statements submitted to the Election Commission in 2008 and 2014, his yearly income was only 200,000 taka (2554 U.S. dollars), which increased to 1.5 million taka (19,158 U.S. dollars) in 2014. And his property value surged to about 28 million taka (357,628 U.S. dollars) from 4.7 million taka (60,030 U.S. dollars) in just five years.

The lawmaker also reportedly made headlines several times for assaulting officials and many others. Endit