PHP chair’s signature forged for Tk57 crore

A Dhaka court on Wednesday issued an arrest warrant against Assert Development and Construction Chairman Shawkat Hassan Miah in a case filed on charges of demanding Tk57 crore from the University of Information Technology and Sciences (UITS) by making a fake house rental agreement.

Metropolitan Magistrate Md Tofazzal Hossain of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court passed the order after the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) submitted the charge sheet to the court against Shawkat Miah, also owner of the multi-storey Jamalpur Tower in Baridhara.

Advocates Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, Mizanur Rahman Mamun and Khandaker Golam Kibria Jubayer appeared for UITS at court.

Advocate Mannan said Shawkat Miah had filed a case against Sufi Mohammad Mizanur Rahman, chairman of the board of trustees of the UITS and the PHP Family, in the CMM Court in Dhaka.

He had forged a signature of Sufi Mizan and made a fake house rental agreement without any witnesses and demanded around Tk57 crore from the UITS, the lawyer added.

Later on December 19 last year, the UITS filed a case in the CMM Court challenging the fake documents.

After a preliminary hearing on both the cases, Metropolitan Magistrate Md Tofazzal Hossain directed the PBI to submit a report to the court after investigating the matter.

On June 14, PBI submitted a final report in favour of the UITS, saying the allegations made by Shawkat Miah were baseless.

Furthermore, a charge sheet was filed against Shawkat Mia in the case filed by UITS.

Advocate Mannan said Shawkat Miah also faced charges of extorting Tk60 crore by threatening to kill the vice-chancellor of UITS in Bhatara.

Mohammad Mostafa Kamal, personal assistant to the vice-chancellor of the educational institution, filed the case at the Bhatara police station on January 2 this year.

In that case, Shawkat Miah secured anticipatory bail for six weeks from the High Court on January 8.

But even though his bail period expired, Shawkat Miah did not surrender to the lower court.

Five months later, on July 27, Shawkat Miah surrendered to the CMM Court, citing serious illness, and sought bail in the case.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Baki Billah denied him bail and sent him to jail as he could not produce any documents in support of his illness.

On August 12, Shawkat applied for bail through a lawyer using a "medical certificate" given on the pad of Delta Specialised Hospital in West Rampura, Dhaka.

After reviewing the documents, the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Sharafuzzaman Ansari granted him bail the same day.

Meanwhile, the plaintiff in the case has applied to the court to cancel the bail order of Shawkat Miah. The court is likely to hear the appeal on Thursday. 

Bhatara police are currently investigating the case.

Advocate Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan alleged that Shawkat Hasan Miah has been defrauding people for a long time by identifying himself as a retired major although he was sacked from the army.

"There is evidence to support that. The Anti-Corruption Commission has issued a notice to Shawkat Hassan Miah upon petitions by victims for committing various misdeeds in his own district Jamalpur and in Dhaka," the lawyer added.

On December 23 last year, Gulshan police also filed a report to the CMM Court against Shawkat Miah and his armed cadres for threatening to kill the UITS vice-chancellor and several others from its higher authorities, said Advocate Mannan.

He also said that the case is currently under trial.