A Dhaka court sentenced Regent Hospital chairman Mohammad Sahed Karim to one year in prison in a case over a dishonoured cheque worth Tk23 lakh 18 thousand 358. Third Joint Metropolitan Sessions Judge Md Ariful Islam delivered the verdict on Sunday afternoon, August 2. The court also imposed a fine equal to the cheque amount.

Defence lawyer Mohammad Dabir Uddin said the court had delivered the verdict in Sahed’s absence on May 3. On August 2, he was shown arrested in the case under a warrant of sentence. The judge rejected his bail petition and ordered him sent to jail. The lawyer said they knew of another case filed at the CMM court on July 16, 2020 over the same incident, but were unaware of the cheque-related case.

The case was filed on July 26, 2020 by Hafiz Uddin Bahar, proprietor of Bahar Traders International. It alleged that a cheque issued on December 10, 2019 for construction materials was returned on May 5, 2020 because of insufficient funds. The report said Sahed currently faces more than 35 cases.