The High Court on Tuesday directed the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission and the Criminal Investigation Department to investigate allegations that the family of Awami League leader Shamim Osman committed forgery to evade telecom dues.
The bench of Justice Fatema Najib and Justice Sikder Mahmudur Razi ordered the investigation to be completed within 90 days.
The court issued the directive after hearing a writ petition filed by Md Sakhawat Hossain, a trader who claims to be a victim of the alleged fraud.
The petition was based on a Prothom Alo report titled 鈥楪overnment to get Tk 126 crore: Unprecedented forgery by Osman family to evade outstanding bills鈥�, which was published on January 14.
The High Court also issued a rule, asking the BTRC and other respondents to explain within four weeks why their failure to take action against the alleged forgery should not be declared illegal.
The Anti-Corruption Commission chairman, the home secretary, the registrar of the Joint Stock Company, the inspector general of police, and the officer-in-charge of Banani police station were made respondents to the rule.
According to the Prothom Alo report, the Osman family fraudulently listed three individuals鈥攁 trader, a teacher, and a service holder鈥攁s shareholders of International Voice K Tel Limited, an international gateway (IGW) company, without their knowledge.
Md Sakhawat Hossain was falsely named as a shareholder and the managing director of the company, which owes Tk 126 crore to BTRC. He was unaware of his purported ownership until the BTRC filed a case against him.
On October 18, 2024, police raided his home at Rangunia to recover the dues.
鈥業 only found out that I was listed as the owner when authorities came after me,鈥� Sakhawat was quoted as saying in the report.
Sakhawat is actually the proprietor of a travel agency on DIT Road at Fakirapool in Dhaka.
The report states that Shamim Osman鈥檚 wife, Salma Islam, and their son, Imtinan Osman, were the original licence holders of K Telecom Limited, an IGW company licensed for 15 years in 2012.
Shamim Osman鈥檚 brother-in-law, Tanvir Ahmed, and his associates, Jainal Abedin Mollah and Jahangir Hossain Mollah, were also listed as company owners.
On August 4, 2013, the Osman family allegedly transferred the ownership of K Telecom Limited to three unsuspecting individuals鈥擲akhawat Hossain, Debrato Chowdhury (a school teacher from Sylhet), and Rakibul Islam (a private office assistant from Bogura). None of them had any knowledge of the transfer or the company itself.
The report suggests that the Osman family orchestrated the ownership transfer to shift liability for the unpaid telecom dues.
Lawyer Mohammad Shishir Manir, along with his junior, Saddam Hossain, appeared in court on behalf of Sakhawat Hossain.
