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Wealth amassing case against Ershad

Tajul Islam forged constitution of Jatiya Party, says Prosecution

By Staff Correspondent
The Prosecution Lawyer in the corruption case against deposed President Ershad suggested tn the Special Court yesterday that the Defence Witness had forged the Jatiya Party constitution and tarn pcrcd with the constitutional provisions in an effort to save the accused.
However, the Defence Witness, the Office Secretary of the Jatiya Party Tajul Islam Chowdhury MP denied the suggestion that the constltu lion was changed making provisions that money could be deposited with any office bearer of the party.
Tajul Islam submitted a copy of the Jatiya Party constitution in which it was said that party funds could be kept with any office bearer of the party with the permission of the
party Chairman.
This particular copy of the JP constitution did not bear the date and name of Its print era. It only carried the name of the publisher- Secretary General of the party Shah Moazzcm Hossain
The Prosecution during the deposition of its witnesses had produced a copy of the constl tution of the Jatiya Party published on January 15. 1987 with Mahmudul Hasan Secretary General as its printer and publisher. That constitution clearly said that the party fund should be de Cited with the bank and the k account should be opcr ated under joint signature of the party secretary general and the treasurer.
The corruption case ain st Ershad was lodged with the
recovery of a cash amount of Taka 1,90,81,565 from h1s possession which was beyond his known sources of Income.
The Prosecution proved that Ershad could not earn more than Taka 73 lakh from his known sources of income during his services In the Army and as President of the country
The Defence Counsels had been claiming that the money belonged to the Jatiya Party and was kept with Ershad to make payment for a house to be used as an office of the Jatiya Party.
During the cross-examlna tlon by Attorney General Aminul Haque, defence witness Tajul Islam said that he was elected MP from Ku rigram on the goodwill of Party
Chairman Ershad'.
The Prosecution side also questioned him about his personal life.
Tajul said that he could not remember his date of marriage and birth dates of his thr^e
The Prosecution also said that Tajul had married a woman who was the wife of a school teacher after enticing her.
However. Tajul Islam hurriedly opted to give a clarification on his marriage.
Deposing in the Court he said that his wife was his cousin who had been divorced by her former husband. He married her later on humanitarian grounds.
He said that her three sons also slay with him at present.
When the Attorney General asked this question Defence Counsel Yousuf Hossain Humayun raised an objection that this question was irrelevant to which the Attorney General Aminul Haque replied, "It is very much relevant to the case for he (witness Tajul) enticed the woman".
Tajul strongly defended himself and said that he could produce the former husband of his wife and their three children Russel, Jewel and Chandan to prove that his wife had been divorced by her
During the cross-examination Tajul further deposed that the March 20. 1991 petition asking to relieve Ershad of the case submitted to the former Acting President did not mention that the money belonged to the Jatiya Party.
| He further admitted that
the case lodged by former Acting Secretary General of the party ABM Shahjahan did not mention how the Jatiya Party raised funds to buy a house.
Tajul during his deposition said that 1,46,42,800 taka was collected through primary membership subscriptions of the party. 25.35.250 taka was collected through donations, 3,22,250 taka was collected through subscriptions by parly MPs and District Council Chairmen while 25 lakh taka waS donated by Moudud Ahmed, Mizan Chowdhury and leaders of the party.
lie said that all this money had not been deposited in the bank.
He further said that there was a bank account of the Jatiya Party with the Green Road branch of Agrani Bank which used to be operated under the joint signatures of the party chairman and the secretary general.
After cross-examination for about two hours yesterday Judge Mohammad Ali Khan adjourned the court to resume it on Tuesday.