Two testify against Rana, others in building code violation case

Two new prosecution witnesses have testified against Rana Plaza owner Sohel Rana and nine others in a case lodged for violating building code.

Chief executive officer of Savar municipality Sharaf Uddin Ahmed Chowdhury and account officer Md Shamsuddin testified in the case on Thursday. A total of three witnesses have been testified in the case so far.

Dhaka divisional special judge Syed Kamal Hossain after examining the witnesses adjourned the hearing of the case till June 16.

According to the case documents, Rana, his father Abdul Khalek and mother Morjina Begum signed an agreement with a developer company named Tanmay Housing Limited to construct a six-story shopping centre on their land.

As the company completed work of two stories of the six-storied building, Rana cancelled the agreement and built the building under his own arrangements. He turned building meant to be a shopping centre into a garment factory and later built three more stories on the existing building violating the building code.

After the collapse of the building on April 24, 2013, Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) deputy director SM Mofidul Islam lodged the case with Savar Police Station.

After investigation, police filed charge sheet against 18 and court on May 21, 2017, framed charges against 10 including Rana in the case.