ACC case against former CJ SK Sinha for securing Rajuk plot

Ex-Chief Justice SK Sinha

Special Correspondent

The Metropolitan Senior Special Judge’s Court of Dhaka Sunday fixed November 23 to submit the investigation report in a case filed against former Chief Justice (CJ) Surendra Kumar Sinha for abusing his position and securing the allotment of a plot of land illegally from the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakkha (Rajuk).

The case details reached the court of Senior Special Judge KM Imrul Kayes on October 7 while the court accepted the case details and fixed the date for submission of the investigation report.

Earlier on Thursday, October 7, Deputy Director of Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Gulshan Anwar Pradhan filed the case with the organization’s Integrated District Office, Dhaka-1 against former CJ Surendra Kumar Sinha for abusing his position and securing the allotment of plot illegally from the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakkha (Rajuk). SK Sinha, lives abroad.

According to the case statement, SK Sinha had earlier received a plot of land in his name from Rajuk, in Uttara residential area.

Later, he allegedly, secured a three- katha plot in Rajuk’s Purbachal Project in the name of his brother Narendra Kumar Sinha, using his position. Later, he upgraded the plot to a five-katha-plot.

Apparently, transferring the plot from Purbachal, SK Sinha got a plot approved by Rajuk in Uttara’s Sector-4 and paid a total of Tk 75 lakh for it. Thereafter, he built a nine-storey building on the plot.

The statement further noted that investigation revealed the construction cost of the house was more than Tk

6.31 crore, according to the estimate of a neutral engineer. As such, the cost of construction of the building, including the price of the plot rose over Tk 7.6 crore. Of this, he received Tk 70 lakh in advance from Khaled Chowdhury against the sale of a flat.

Apart from that amount, he deposited the remaining amount, more than Tk 6.36 crore in the name of Shankhajit Singh, someone known to SK Sinha. In other words, it is charged that SK Sinha has acquired assets worth over Tk 7.14 crore in the names of his brother and relatives, abusing his official position.

Transferring and converting the illegally earned money using the accounts of various individuals aiming to legalize the amount, SK Sinha committed a punishable offence under the Anti-Corruption Commission Act and the Money Laundering Prevention Act, the case statement said.

The ACC had earlier filed another case against the former Chief Justice in 2019 on charges of embezzling Tk 4 crore from Farmers Bank (now Padma Bank), engaging himself in fraud and forgery. October 21 has been set for pronouncing the verdict in the case.