HBM Iqbal explained

HBM Iqbal
Native Name:এইচ বি এম ইকবাল
Native Name Lang:bn
Constituency Mp:Dhaka-10
Parliament:Bangladesh
Term Start:14 July 1996
Term End:13 July 2001
Predecessor:Abdul Mannan
Successor:Abdul Mannan
Nationality:Bangladeshi
Party:Bangladesh Awami League
Occupation:Entrepreneur

HBM Iqbal is a Bangladeshi entrepreneur and the founder chairperson of Premier Group of Companies Ltd. He is also a Bangladesh Awami League politician and a former Jatiya Sangsad member representing the Dhaka-10 constituency during 1996–2001.[1]

Career

Iqbal was elected as a Bangladesh Awami League candidate representing the Dhaka-10 constituency in June 1996 and served as the Chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee at the Ministry of Science and Technology.[1] [2]

On 13 February 2001, shots were fired from Iqbal's rally to the rally of the then opposition party, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), in the Malibagh area of Dhaka.[1] [3] Photographs of the incident were published in newspapers.[3] [1] Four people in the BNP rally were killed in the shooting.[4] Iqbal, along with 23 others, were charged on 29 December 2002, by the Detective Branch.[5] In August 2010, Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 dropped the case against him, MP Nurunnabi Chowdhury and 12 others after the Ministry of Home Affairs had recommended to drop the charges citing it as a "political harassment case" in 2009.[6] [7]

On 25 June 2007, Iqbal was charged with corruption by the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC).[8] [9] [10] [11] He was sentenced to 13 years in jail on 11 March 2008; 10 years for undeclared assets worth Tk 22.9 crore and 3 years for concealing information on property worth more than Tk 16 crore.[12] [13] His wife, Momtaz Begum, two sons, Moyeen Iqbal and Ikram Iqbal, and a daughter, Naurin Iqbal, were also convicted.[13] HBM Iqbal was sent to jail in February 2010.[12]

The High Court acquitted Iqbal in 2011 but upheld the convictions of his family members. The ACC filed a petition against the acquittal but they dropped their petition in 2015.[14] The family members surrendered at the court in March 2017 and secured bail within a week.[14] [15]

In April 2010, Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK), the public agency for urban development in Dhaka, sent a demolition notice to Momtaz Begum, the wife of Iqbal, for illegally building, Premier Square, a skyscraper in Gulshan area. She had failed to produce documents supporting building's approval despite repeated notices.

In February 2021, Iqbal sent more than 30 legal notices to bdnews24.com to remove past articles on criminal cases against him.[16] Online articles regarding Iqbal's cases published by The Daily Star now shows the error "You are not authorized to access this page".[3] [8] [11]

As of 2010, Iqbal was a vice-president of the Awami League's Dhaka city unit.[17] He is the founder chairman of Premier Group of Companies Ltd, Premier Bank Limited, Premier Foundation and Premier Bank Foundation.[18] [2] [19]

Personal life

Iqbal was married to Momtaz Begum (d. 2022).[20] [21] She had served as the vice-chairman of Sheikh Hasina University of Science and Technology Board of Trustees and as the chairperson of the Royal University of Dhaka Board of Trustees.[22]

Notes and References

  1. News: Four injured in reckless driving by ex-Awami League MP HBM Iqbal's underage nephew at Gulshan. bdnews24.com. 8 December 2016.
  2. Web site: 2020-10-06 . Biography - Dr HBM Iqbal . 2024-02-25 . en-US.
  3. News: Photos From The Incident. 2010-08-27. The Daily Star. en. https://web.archive.org/web/20190326041827/https://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-152486. 2019-03-26. 2019-03-26.
  4. News: Dulal remanded in 2001 Malibagh shooting. bdnews24.com. 2019-03-26.
  5. News: Charges pressed against Iqbal, 23 others. 2003-01-01. The Daily Star. en. https://web.archive.org/web/20190326041826/https://www.thedailystar.net/news/charges-pressed-against-iqbal-23-others. 2019-03-26. 2024-02-25.
  6. News: AL leaders relieved from 2001 murder case. bdnews24.com. 2019-03-26.
  7. News: Iqbal, Shaon, 12 others acquitted of Malibagh murder charges. 2010-08-25. banglanews24.com. en. 2019-03-26.
  8. News: Property of HBM Iqbal, family to be attached . The Daily Star . 28 November 2007 . 3 March 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161129012713/https://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-13413 . 29 November 2016.
  9. News: HBM Iqbal jailed for 13 years . bdnews24.com . 11 March 2008 . 3 March 2019.
  10. News: HBM Iqbal handed 13yrs behind bars . The Daily Star . 12 March 2008 . 3 March 2019.
  11. News: AL's crime dons show up at HC . The Daily Star . 19 January 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161101174936/https://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-71966 . 1 November 2016 . 3 March 2019.
  12. News: Banker, ex-AL MP Iqbal sent to jail in wealth case . bdnews24.com . 28 February 2010 . 3 March 2019.
  13. News: Ex-MP Iqbal\'s wife, two sons, daughter land in jail . The Financial Express . Dhaka . 9 March 2017 . 29 August 2023.
  14. News: Ex-MP Iqbal's wife, 3 children get bail . The Independent. Dhaka. 2020-08-20. https://web.archive.org/web/20200206183241/http://www.theindependentbd.com:80/arcprint/details/85699/2017-03-17. 2020-02-06.
  15. News: Former AL lawmaker Iqbal's wife, two sons and daughter land in jail . 2024-02-25 . bdnews24.com . en.
  16. News: 2021-02-17. Former ruling party MP accused of orchestrating 'attempts to muzzle journalism'. 2021-02-17. Dhaka Tribune.
  17. News: Ali . Tawfique . 25 August 2010 . Rising high the audacity . The Daily Star . https://web.archive.org/web/20161203173202/http://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-152187 . 3 December 2016 . 8 December 2016.
  18. News: Premier Bank sues nine officials for fund fraud . The Daily Star . 21 January 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161220081246/http://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-266067 . 20 December 2016 . 8 December 2016.
  19. News: 19 December 2019 . 5-star Marriott chain opens in Dhaka . The Daily Star . 10 August 2020.
  20. Web site: HBM Iqbal’s wife Momtaz Begum dies . 2024-02-25 . businesspostbd.com . en.
  21. News: 2022-06-28. Premier Bank Chairman Dr HBM Iqbal’s wife passes away . 2024-02-25 . Daily Sun . en.
  22. News: 2022-06-28 . Premier Bank chairman’s wife passes away . 2024-02-25 . The Business Standard . en.