The Special Court-2 set up at the MP Hostel in the parliament complex in the capital also fined Mir Nasir Tk 50 lakh in default of which he will have to spend another two years in jail.

Nasir was handed down 10 years' rigorous imprisonment for illegally accumulating huge wealth and three years' simple jail for concealing information of wealth worth Tk 6,72,68,000 in the report he had submitted to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

Helal was convicted for trying to withdraw and transfer about Tk 5.64 crore from their family joint accounts to the accounts of his wife and mother-in-law to help his father conceal property information.

The court also directed the government to confiscate their wealth worth Tk 27,94,91,000 which is disproportionate to the known sources of income of Nasir and his son.

Prosecution lawyers told The Daily Star that Nasir will have to serve in jail for 13 years as the conviction will be implemented consecutively, not concurrently.

Defence lawyer MA Awal said as per Nasir's instructions they will appeal with the High Court on receipt of the order of the verdict.

Special Court-2 Judge AK Roy delivered the verdict in the afternoon in a packed courtroom. He appeared before the court at 2:00pm and read out excerpts from the 186-page judgment. Judge Roy took seven minutes to deliver the verdict.

He allowed the convicted half an hour as per their prayer to consult with their lawyers regarding appealing in the High Court.

Nasir and Helal, who had been taken to the parliament complex at 9:30am, were standing at the dock while the judge was reading out the verdict. Nasir listened to the verdict attentively while his son looked normal.

The judgment was prepared after examining the investigation report, depositions of 32 witnesses, statements of the two accused, and arguments of the prosecution and the defence on 25 workdays since May 20.

Prosecution lawyers were present to receive the judgment.

Expressing satisfaction about the verdict, prosecution lawyer Mir Ahmed Ali told The Daily Star that Nasir has been convicted for 10 years' rigorous imprisonment under section 27(1) of the ACC Act 2004, and three years' simple imprisonment under its section 26(2). Helal has been convicted under section 109 of the Penal Code.

Their conviction will be effective with the pronouncement of the verdict.

Nasir's wealth to be confiscated includes over 800 decimals of land in Hathazari of Chittagong, a plot at Placid Lake Apartment in Dhanmondi and a four-storey building "Dalia Kunja" worth Tk 89.15 lakh in Chittagong. Nasir concealed information about his ownership of a three-storey building in Gulshan valued at Tk 1.24 crore.

NASIR'S OFFENCE
On February 18, the ACC asked 50 corruption suspects, including Nasir, to submit their wealth statements within 72 hours. Nasir, who had been detained on February 4 by the joint forces, submitted his wealth statement to the ACC through representatives.

Joint forces arrested Nasir's son Helal when he was withdrawing Tk 5.64 crore from family joint accounts with four different banks in the capital on February 22 to transfer the money to the accounts of his wife and mother-in-law.

On March 6, ACC Deputy Director Sharmin Ferdous filed a graft case with Gulshan Police Station against Nasir for amassing properties illegally.

According to the charge sheet, Nasir, his wife late Dalia Naznin Nasir, their daughter and son have wealth worth Tk 29.22 crore. But they showed properties worth about Tk 22.50 crore in the wealth statement, concealing information of properties worth Tk 6.72 crore.

The ACC found that the former state minister has Tk 1.28 crore legal savings.

ACC sources said Nasir has more wealth in different names and disguises but those could not be proved due to shortage of time.

ACC officials also alleged that Nasir provided twisted information in his statement. He did not mention anything about Tk 23 lakh spent for the renovation and decoration of his ancestral home in Chittagong, they said. He, however, mentioned that he owns ancestral property worth Tk 30,000.

The ACC found that Nasir's wife and son own several flats, plots and houses in different areas in Dhaka and Chittagong and in most cases they gave twisted information about the wealth.

The ACC also found Tk 5.11 crore in several bank accounts of the former state minister. Eight of these banks--Janata Bank, Agrani Bank, Eastern Bank, Brac Bank, HSBC Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, Shahjalal Islami Bank and Social Investment Bank--are in the city.

On April 29, ACC deputy director Abdullah Al Zahid, also investigation officer of the case, submitted the charge sheet to a Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate's Court.

The court sent the case to the Special Court on May 6 for quick disposal.

The Special Court framed charges against Nasir and his son on May 15.