Verdict in illegal asset case against Papiya, husband on 14 August
According to the charge sheet, the ACC's investigation found that the couple had amassed a total of Tk6.24 crore in illegal assets
A Dhaka court has set 14 August as the date for the verdict in the illegal asset case against former Jubo Mohila League leader Shamima Nur Papiya and her husband Mofizur Rahman.
Judge Mohammad Abu Taher of Dhaka Special Judge Court-3 set the date today (7 August) after the conclusion of the closing arguments.
Papiya and her husband, who were earlier released on bail, were present in the courtroom during the hearing.
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During the hearing, Anti-Corruption Commission's Public Prosecutor Mahmud Hossain Jahangir requested the maximum punishment for the duo.
However, the defence lawyer Shakhawat Ullah Bhuiyan stated that they were unable to present their arguments as the court had denied their plea for more time to prepare.
The case was filed by the ACC in 2020 following the arrest of Papiya and her husband by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on 22 February of that year.
According to the charge sheet, the ACC's investigation found that the couple had amassed a total of Tk6.24 crore in illegal assets.
On 30 November 2021, the court framed charges against the accused and ordered the trial to begin. The case was initially filed against the couple on 4 August 2020, by ACC Deputy Director Shahin Ara Momtaz of the Dhaka Coordinated District Office-1, under Section 27(1) of the 'ACC Act, 2004'.
After the investigation, ACC's Shahin Ara submitted the report, and the commission approved the charge sheet against the Papiya couple on 11 February.
According to the allegations in the case, from 12 October 2019 to 22 February 2020, Papiya stayed in 25 rooms at the Westin Dhaka hotel and paid a total of Tk3.23 crore in cash for room nights, food, alcohol, spa, laundry, and mini bar services.
She also spent nearly Tk40 lakh on shopping while at the hotel, for which she could not provide a legal source.
Furthermore, the investigation found no legal source for Tk30 lakh spent on house rent over five years (from April 2015 to April 2020), Tk1 crore invested in a car business, Tk20 lakh invested in KMC Car Wash Solution in Narsingdi, and Tk30.52 lakh deposited in various bank accounts in her and her husband's names.
Additionally, during a RAB raid on her house, Tk58.41 lakh in cash was recovered, along with a Honda CVA 2012 model car worth Tk22 lakh registered under her husband's name.
The graft body's investigation also found no legal source for these recovered assets.
The charges included large cash payments for hotel bills, and significant investments and cash deposits for which no legitimate source was found.
