Hallmark scandal: Tanvir and Jasmin gets lifetime imprisonment

In the high-profile Hallmark scandal case, In a landmark ruling on Tuesday (March 19), the Dhaka Special Judge Court-1 pronounced verdicts culminating in life imprisonment sentences for the Managing Director (MD) of the institution implicated in the case, Tanveer Mahmood, along with his wife and chairman of the group, Jasmin Islam.

Additionally, the court ordered ten years of imprisonment for seven individuals, including Meherunnessa Mary, a senior executive officer of Sonali Bank‍‍`s Dhanmondi branch.

The verdict, delivered by Judge Abul Kashem, saw a total of 17 persons convicted in connection with the scandal. Among them were Jasmine Islam, Tanveer Mahmud, Jasmine‍‍`s brother Tushar Ahmed, and several former officials of Sonali Bank, including Humayun Kabir, Mainul Haque, and Mir Mohidur Rahman.

Under Section 409 of the Penal Code, Tanveer and Jasmin were sentenced to life imprisonment and fined five crore rupees. Additionally, they received seven years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of 25 thousand taka under Section 420.

Others implicated, including Saiful Hasan, Abdul Matin, Tushar Ahmed, Mir Zakaria, Saiful Islam Raja, Abdul Malek, and Taslim Hasan, were also sentenced to life imprisonment and fined Tk 10 lakh under Section 409 and 109 of the Penal Code. Similar sentences were meted out for offenses under Section 420 and 109.

Meherunnisa Mary, Mir Mohidur Rahman, Mainul Haque, Safiz Uddin Ahmed, Kamrul Hossain Khan, Humayun Kabir, and Nani Gopal Nath received ten years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Tk 10 lakh under Section 409 and 109. They were also handed seven years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of two lakh taka under Section 420 and 109.

Jamal Uddin Sarkar was sentenced to five years of rigorous imprisonment and fined five lakh taka under Section 409 and 109, along with two years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of two lakh taka under Section 420 and 109.

Among the accused, Tanveer, Jasmin, Tushar, Mir Mahidur, Safiz, Mainul, Kamrul, and Malek are currently incarcerated, while Jamal is out on bail. The remaining eight individuals are at large.

The case stemmed from embezzlement amounting to Tk 2,686 crore 14 lakhs from Sonali Bank‍‍`s Rupsi Bangla (formerly Sheraton) hotel branch, allegedly facilitated by collusion among officials. The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed a case in Ramna Police Station on October 4, 2012, leading to a comprehensive investigation and subsequent charges.