GK Shamim receives life sentence in arms case
He is regular in making the headlines for prolonged hospital stays instead of jail, securing a bail in secret and later HC order scrapping it
Influential government-listed contractor Golam Kibria Shamim, who was arrested during the anti-casino raids for tender grabbing by brandishing firearms, has been sentenced to life in prison in the arms case.
Seven bodyguards of Shamim – widely known as GK Shamim – have also been sentenced to life imprisonment on the same charges, said Public Prosecutor Salauddin Howlader.
Referring to the firearms law, he said if someone acquires an arms licence, they can use the firearm for personal safety. But with that licence, they cannot be employed as bodyguards of others.
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"The court said GK Shamim and his bodyguards violated the law," said the lawyer.
GK Shamim's lawyer Shahiunur Islam said they are aggrieved by the verdict and will challenge it at the High Court.
GK Shamim was arrested in a dramatic raid on his residence and office in Dhaka's Niketon area in September 2019.
In the crackdown, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) seized Fixed Deposit Receipt (FDR) worth Tk165 crore, around Tk1.8 crore in cash, a large stash of US and Singaporean dollars, foreign liquor and firearms.
Subsequently, three cases were filed on narcotics, firearms and money laundering charges by RAB. Later, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed another case for acquiring wealth illegally, money laundering, misappropriation of public funds, and irregularities in government contracts.
In February 2020, charges were framed in the arms case against GK Shamim and his seven bodyguards. After two and a half years of trial in the case, a Dhaka special tribunal announced the verdict on Sunday.
Apart from the cases in Dhaka, lawyers said there are five fraud cases against the contractor.
When GK Shamim was arrested in 2019, his GK Builders was handling 22 key construction works involving an allocation of Tk6,000 crore. The projects include the RAB Headquarters at Ashkona, the Revenue Building at Agargaon and the Artha Building and two 25-storey buildings at the Secretariat.
Soon after the arrest, many took to social media, posting GK Shamim's photos where he is seen alongside senior Awami League leaders, ministers and former and current police and RAB officials.
Though Shamim used to claim himself to be a top leader of the Awami League and sometimes its youth wing Jubo League, the ruling party was quick to disown him.
In 2019, more than 100 ruling party men and other influential people were arrested during the anti-casino raids. Some 57 cases – mostly on charges of money laundering, firearms and narcotics – were filed against them.
In April this year, a Dhaka court sentenced 11 people, including former Old Dhaka Awami League leaders Enamul Haque Bhuiyan and Rupon Bhuiyan, to seven years of imprisonment.
In October 2020, Shamima Noor Papia, the expelled general secretary of the Jubo Mohila League, was sentenced to 27 years in prison in an arms case. Papia was the first to receive a verdict among the people arrested during the anti-casino raids.
