AMN/ WEB DESK
A Dhaka court on Tuesday sentenced the former Bangladesh Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha to eleven years imprisonment in a case involving embezzlement of Taka 4 crore from a bank and money laundering abroad. He was given a sentence of 7 years and a fine of Taka 45 lakh on the charges of money laundering and four years jail term for embezzlement of money, reports the official news agency BSS.
The court ordered the seizure of Taka 78 lakh of Justice Sinha under state exchequer.
The court also sentenced the former Managing Director of the then Farmer’s Bank AKM Shameem to 4 years imprisonment with a fine of Taka 50 thousand. Four other senior officers of the bank were also found guilty by the court.
Justice Sinha was appointed as Chief Justice of Bangladesh in 2015. He had resigned amid controversy about a judgement of the Supreme Court which struck down the law giving power to parliament to remove judges of the Supreme Court.
Three months before his retirement, he had left for Australia in October 2017 and subsequently sent in his resignation from abroad.
In his autobiography Justice S.K. Sinha claimed that he stepped down as Chief Justice due to intimidation and threats. The allegations have been denied by the government.
He is currently in the US. Earlier he had sought political asylum in Canada.
Justice S.K. Sinha was the first minority Chief Justice of Bangladesh belonging to the Hindu community.