Azam Chy now says he did not file case against Hasina
"What I did [say in the case] has been distorted and has not come to the public properly," Azam told newsmen at a local hotel following the Annual Business Conference of Prime Bank of which he is the chairman.
Azam said he filed the case against Sheikh Selim. Referring to the Tk 2.99 crore extortion, he said Selim had taken the money saying he was taking the money for the prime minister who had asked him to do so.
"Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is the father of the nation and his daughter Sheikh Hasina is a former prime minister…A prime minister is a respected person. Why should I file a case against her directly?" Azam said.
"There has been a wrong perception about this case," he added.
Azam J Chowdhury filed the case on June 13 last year, accusing Hasina and her cousin Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim of taking Tk 2.99 crore as extortion from him for awarding a 210MW power project contract. Azam is the local agent of a Russian company that won the contract.
Police later included the name of Hasina’s sister Sheikh Rehana in the charge sheet as another accused.
This was the first case against a former prime minister under the present caretaker government and it stirred the public in general as Azam is known for having good terms with the previous governments. He has been involved in the power, petroleum and banking sectors for 30 years.
Before filing the case, there had been no trace of Azam for three days. On June 13, he was seen at the Gulshan Police Station filing the case.
Azam has never talked about the case in public since then until yesterday.
"It can be said that the case against Hasina was filed by Sheikh Selim," he said, contradicting the fact that he had accused both Hasina and Selim in the first information report (FIR).
He, however, said, "When a case is filed, an investigation officer probes the matter and drops or adds names of people as accused. It has also happened in this case. The final decision rests upon the court."
When journalists told him that in the court Selim denied taking any money from him, Azam said, "The court will examine the circumstantial evidence. Since the trial is going on, I do not want to elaborate on it further.
"I have become a villain. Yet my 28-year business profile will show that I am a clean businessman. I have contributed to the national economy. I have stakes in the oil, gas and power sectors. When a new government comes, it consults with me and I try to help it to bring in reforms. That is why it is not right to make me a villain," Azam said.
