A Dhaka Court on Tuesday concluded recording of statements of the witnesses in a graft case filed against former chief justice Surendra Kumar Sinha and 10 others who are facing charges of misappropriating Tk 4 crore.

Judge of Dhaka Special Judge Court-4 Sheikh Nazmul Alam wrapped up the statement recording after hearing from the last witness ACC director and investigation officer of the case Benazir Ahmed.

The court fixed August 29 for hearing from the accused defendants.

Also read: Ex-CJ SK Sinha cleared of graft charges

Of the accused, former MD of Farmers Bank (now Padma Bank) AKM Shamim, and other senior officers the bank Swapan Kumar Roy, Md Lutful Haque, Gazi Salahuddin and businessmen Mohammad Shahjahan and Niranjan Chandra Saha are now out on bail.

M Mahbubul Haque Chisti, former chairman of Audit Committee of the Farmers Bank is behind bars.

Shafiuddin Askari Ahmed, first vice-president of Farmers Bank, former Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, his wife Sastri Roy and Ranjit Chandra Saha are absconding.

On July 10, 2019, the ACC filed the case accusing the former chief justice and 10 others of accumulating illegal wealth and laundering Tk 4 crore.

On September 25, 2019, the anti-graft body summoned five officials of the Farmers Bank Ltd for interrogation over the deposit of Tk 4 crore in SK Sinha’s account with the Supreme Court branch of Sonali Bank Ltd.

On May 6, 2018, the ACC interrogated two businessmen – Md Shahjahan and Niranjan Chandra Saha – for allegedly taking Tk 4 crore in loan from the Farmers Bank using fake documents and depositing the money in the bank account of a VVIP.

Barrister Nazmul Huda, a former BNP minister, filed another case of misuse of power and corruption against SK Sinha with Shahbagh police station on September 27, 2018.

SK Sinha went on leave on October 2, 2017 before leaving for Australia 10 days later amid a row over some of his observations on the 16th amendment of the constitution.

Also read: Charges pressed against SK Sinha, 10 others in graft case

Just before his departure, he had told reporters that he was not sick, contradicting the government’s claim that he went on leave on health grounds.

A day after SK Sinha’s trip to Australia, the Supreme Court issued a statement, saying he was facing 11 charges, including graft, moral turpitude and money laundering.

On November 11, 2017, he resigned from his post of chief justice.