Nargis Begum, wife of the controversial former DGHS driver Abdul Malek, lost consciousness in a Dhaka court on Wednesday after being sentenced to prison in a corruption case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
A dramatic scene unfolded at the Dhaka Special Judge Court-6 as Nargis Begum fainted upon hearing the court’s verdict, which sentenced her to three years in prison for acquiring illegal wealth. Her husband, Abdul Malek—already infamous for earlier convictions—was sentenced to five years in the same case.
Judge Jakaria Hossain handed down the sentence at around 1 PM. Both convicts were also fined BDT 20,000 each, with an additional three-month jail term in default of payment. The court further ordered the confiscation of assets worth over BDT 11 million, deemed inconsistent with their known sources of income.
Moments before the verdict, Nargis stood beside her husband in the dock. Upon hearing the sentence, she broke down in tears, placed her hand over Malek’s, and then fainted. She collapsed on the courtroom floor before she could be moved to a bench. Her daughter and two female police officers rushed to assist her and eventually helped her to sit.
Malek, visibly distressed, pleaded with the judge to reduce his wife’s sentence, citing her pacemaker-related health issues and tendency to faint. The judge did not respond to the appeal.
After regaining consciousness, Nargis Begum was taken into custody by police officers.
The ACC had filed the case in February 2021, accusing the couple of possessing unexplained assets worth over BDT 11 million. Charges were formally brought in October of that year, and the trial began in May 2022 with ten witnesses testifying.
This latest verdict adds to Malek’s long list of convictions. In March, he was sentenced to 13 years in jail in a separate illegal wealth case. Earlier, in 2021, he was handed a 30-year sentence under the Arms Act.
LND/BG
