Former Sonali Bank Managing Director Humayun Kabir and eight other officials have been sentenced to 17 years imprisonment in a case involving embezzlement of Tk 27.50 lakh through loan forgery.

Judge Md Iqbal Hossain of the Special Sessions Judge's Court-5 of Dhaka handed down the verdict on Wednesday.

The convicts are Sonali Bank's former Managing Director (MD) Humayun Kabir, Deputy Managing Director (DMD) Mainul Huque, General Manager (GM) Noni Gopal Nath, Deputy General Managers (DGMs) Sheikh Altaf Hossain and Sofiz Uddin Ahmed, Assistant General Managers (AGMs) Quamrul Hossain Khan and Saiful Hasan, Managing Director of Paragon Knit Composite Ltd Saiful Islam Raja and Director Abdullah Al Mamun.

The court sentenced each of the convicts 10 years' rigorous imprisonment and 7 years' imprisonment on two counts.

The judge also fined them Tk 50,000 each, and in default, they would have to serve three months more in jail.

According to the case documents, the accused, in collusion with each other, misappropriated Tk 27,50,681 of Sonali Bank through forgery.

During the pronouncement of the verdict, DMD Mainul Huque, DGM  Uddin Ahmed, DGM Sheikh Altaf Hossain, and AGM Quamrul Hossain Khan were present at the court. After the delivery of the verdict, they were taken to jail.

Five other convicts are absconding. The court bench assistant Saiful Islam said arrest warrants were issued against them.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) deputy director Mujibur Rahman filed the case with Ramna Model Police Station on January 1, 2013 against the convicts for embezzling Tk 27.50 lakh of Sonali Bank through forgery.

After investigation of the case, the ACC's assistant director Mashiur Rahman submitted chargesheet to court on May 22, 2014.