The CID is examining if any case could be filed against former state minister for home Lutfozzaman Babar for receiving Tk 20 crore from Bashundhara Group chairman in exchange for relieving his son of the Sabbir murder charge. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) started probing the murder of Bashundhara director Humayun Kabir Sabbir and Babar's receiving money soon after the case was transferred to it from the Detective Branch (DB) on June 12.The DB had found Bashundhara Group Chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan's son Safiat Sobhan Sanbeer, another Bashundhara Director Shamsuddin Ahmed and Sanbeer's close associate Khairul Hasan Ujjal involved in the murder. "Our investigation officer is now investigating the case and when the probe is over we will take the next course of action," CID chief Foni Bhushan Chowdhury told The Daily Star.
The joint forces have already recovered Babar's Tk 20 crore and deposited it with the Bangladesh Bank on May 25 after the former state minister admitted during interrogation to receiving the sum from the Bashundhara chairman for not implicating his son in the murder.
Babar admitted that Sobhan went to him and agreed to provide Tk 50 crore against his demand of Tk 100 crore in exchange for not implicating Sanbeer in the case after investigators detected Sanbeer's involvement in the killing. The detained former state minister for home also admitted that he received the bribe with the consent of the then premier Khaleda Zia and her eldest son Tarique Rahman.
A CID official said they will collect the information gleaned from Babar and decide if a case could be filed against him after consulting with top officials about the findings.
CID Assistant Superintendent of Police Arman Ali, investigation officer of the case, said he is still going through the case docket. "After reading the docket I will decide how to start my work," he told The Daily Star yesterday. As per the law, if Babar is found to have received the bribe, a bribery case will be filed against him and other beneficiaries of the bribe, the official said.