Corruption case: Ex-OC Pradeep gets 20yrs in jail, his wife 21yrs

Former Teknaf OC Pradeep Kumar Das amassed wealth through bribery and transferred it to his wife Chumki Karan, a judge observed yesterday.

Accumulating such wealth would not have been legitimately possible for a low-income government official, Chattogram Divisional Special Judge Munshi Abdul Majid added while delivering the verdict in a graft case filed against Pradeep and Chumki.

Pradeep was sentenced to 20 years and Chumki to 21 years in prison in the case filed by Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). The court also instructed authorities concerned to confiscate the assets owned by the couple.

The accused were at the courtroom when the verdict was read out, said multiple lawyers present there. They were sent to jail afterwards.

Public Prosecutor Mahmudul Hasan said under the ACC act, Chumki was sentenced to one year in prison and fined Tk 1 lakh, defaulting which would result in an additional month in jail; under another section of the same act, both Pradeep and Chumki were sentenced to eight years; under the money laundering act, both were sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined Tk 4 crore, defaulting which would result in an additional two years in jail; under Corruption Prevention Act, the couple were sentenced to two years in jail and fined Tk 10,000, defaulting which would result in an additional two months in jail.

The sentences would be executed concurrently, he added.

OC Pradeep’s lawyer Shamir Das Gupta told reporters that his clients were innocent and he would appeal against the verdict at the High Court.

Earlier this year, a court sentenced Pradeep to death for killing Maj (retd) Sinha Rashed Khan.

The corruption case was filed by ACC Assistant Director Riaz Uddin. They were accused of amassing about Tk 3.95 crore through illegal means.