‘Khamba Mamun’ Acquitted in Arms Case After Corruption and Money Laundering Charges

Staff Reporter

Businessman Gias Uddin Al Mamun has been acquitted of a 10-year prison sentence in an arms case.

Mamun, a close friend and business partner of BNP’s Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, gained notoriety during the caretaker government era as “Khamba Mamun” for his involvement in Khamba Limited. He was also a key figure in the infamous “Hawa Bhaban” syndicate.

Mamun, formerly the managing director of Messrs One Spinning Mills Limited, faced several allegations, including corruption and money laundering. Most of these cases have been dismissed in recent months.

The High Court bench of Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam and Justice Nasreen Akhter granted Mamun’s appeal and acquitted him on Monday. His lawyer stated that Mamun has now been acquitted in four of the five cases in which he was convicted, with one sentence still upheld.

The case, filed on March 26, 2007, by Cantonment Police Station, stemmed from a raid conducted at Mamun’s residence in DOHS Banani. Law enforcement recovered a pistol, ammunition, and eight rounds of bullets concealed under a sofa cushion in his bedroom.

On July 3, 2007, a Dhaka Special Tribunal sentenced Mamun to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and ordered the confiscation of the seized weapon. He appealed the decision the same year, leading to Monday’s High Court ruling.

Mamun has been in prison since 2007, facing over 20 cases, including extortion, corruption, money laundering, and tax evasion.