Chattogram: A court here today sentenced the Secretary General of an NGO to five years in prison for misappropriating loan money intended for landless people in Raozan Upazila. Chattogram Divisional Special Judge Md. Mizanur Rahman delivered the verdict today.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the convicted, Syed Hasanuzzaman Loton, Secretary General of Rehabilitation and Development Organization for Landless (RADOL), was found guilty based on testimony from seven witnesses. The court sentenced him to four years of rigorous imprisonment under Section 409 of the Penal Code and one year under Section 420, bringing the total jail term to five years.
The case details reveal that Loton was involved in misappropriating funds allocated for providing loans to landless people in several model villages of Chattogram district. He embezzled Tk 70,000 from funds meant for distribution in Dabua village, Raozan Upazila, and was also linked to the misappropriation of Tk 70,000 from a total allocation of Tk 12,00,500 designated for loan distribution in 10 model villages.
In addition to the prison sentence, the court also fined him Tk 72,100 and sentenced him to six months of imprisonment in connection with the embezzlement charges. An arrest warrant was issued against Loton as he was absconding during the proceedings. The case was filed by Assistant Inspector of the District Anti-Corruption Bureau, Chowdhury N. M. Alam. The trial began on March 22, 2017, after a charge sheet was submitted on December 29, 2010.