The special anti-graft court yesterday framed charges against BNP lawmaker Ali Asgar lobi for dodging tax worth over Tk 17 crore.

The trial of the case, filed by the National Board of Revenue (NBR), will begin tomorrow with deposition by prosecution witnesses. The NBR sued Lobi for evading Tk 17 crore tax in violation of Section 1 65/1 66 of the Income Tax Ordinance 1984.

When the Judge of the special court, set up at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban complex, read out the charges, Lobi, standing in the dock, pleaded not guilty.

According to the case, Lobi repeatedly gave "false" information about his real income and expenditure to the Income Tax Department and did not show his return on income tax. He also "used his position to conceal information about his real income", the complainant alleged.

After his arrest, the Central Intelligence Cell (CIC) of NBR collected information about his different bank accounts wherein they found Tk 22.25 crore. Lobi did not submit statement of the money to the NBR for the fiscal year 20052006, the complainant said.

Moreover, the complainant said, Lobi, also former president of Bangladesh Cricket Board, did not submit statement about the income from his M/S Rupashi Energy Filling Station to the NBR.

The joint forces arrested Lobi at his Gulshan residence in the city on February 6.