Ex-MP Poton, four others sent to jail in fertilizer embezzlement case

A Dhaka court has sent former Narsingdi-2 lawmaker Kamrul Ashraf Khan Poton and four others to jail in a case filed by Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) for allegedly embezzling fertilizer worth around Taka 581 crore.

Dhaka Senior Special Judge Mohammad Ash Shams Zaglul Hossain passed the order on Wednesday, rejecting bail pleas of the five accused.

The other accused are - Poton Traders', a contracting firm owned by Poton, general managers Md Shahadat Hossain Nipu and Nazmul Alam Badal, its North Bengal representative Sohrab Hossain and Khulna representative Md Ataur Rahman.

On November 26, 2023, ACC deputy director Md Rafikuzzaman filed the case against the five for embezzling the fertilizer imported by the government between November 1, 2021 and July 30, 2022.

The government assigned Poton Traders to carry the fertilizer to the warehouses from the port.  However, it allegedly embezzled around 72,000 tonnes of imported chemical fertilizer.