HBM Iqbal

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]

HBM Iqbal
এইচ বি এম ইকবাল
Member of the Bangladesh Parliament for Dhaka-10
In office 14 July 1996 – 13 July 2001
Preceded by	Abdul Mannan
Succeeded by	Abdul Mannan
Personal details
Nationality	Bangladeshi
Political party	Bangladesh Awami League
Spouses	Momtaz Begum ​ (died 2022)​
Occupation	Entrepreneur
Website	drhbmiqbal.com

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][6] 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.^[5][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.^[16] She had failed to produce documents supporting building's approval despite repeated notices.^[16]

In February 2021, Iqbal sent more than 30 legal notices to bdnews24.com to remove past articles on criminal cases against him.^[17] 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][16]}

As of 2010, Iqbal was a vice-president of the Awami League's Dhaka city unit.^[16] 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]

References

1. "Four injured in reckless driving by ex-Awami League MP HBM Iqbal's underage nephew at Gulshan". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
2. "Biography - Dr HBM Iqbal". 2020-10-06. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
3. . The Daily Star. 2010-08-27. Archived from the original on 2019-03-26. Retrieved 2019-03-26.
4. "Dulal remanded in 2001 Malibagh shooting". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 2019-03-26.
5. "AL leaders relieved from 2001 murder case". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 2019-03-26.
6. . The Daily Star. 2003-01-01. Archived from the original on 2019-03-26. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
7. "Iqbal, Shaon, 12 others acquitted of Malibagh murder charges". banglanews24.com. 2010-08-25. Retrieved 2019-03-26.
8. . The Daily Star. 28 November 2007. Archived from the original on 29 November 2016. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
9. "HBM Iqbal jailed for 13 years". bdnews24.com. 11 March 2008. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
10. "HBM Iqbal handed 13yrs behind bars". The Daily Star. 12 March 2008. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
11. . The Daily Star. 19 January 2009. Archived from the original on 1 November 2016. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
12. "Banker, ex-AL MP Iqbal sent to jail in wealth case". bdnews24.com. 28 February 2010. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
13. "Ex-MP Iqbal\'s wife, two sons, daughter land in jail". The Financial Express. Dhaka. 9 March 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
14. . The Independent. Dhaka. Archived from the original on 2020-02-06. Retrieved 2020-08-20.
15. "Former AL lawmaker Iqbal's wife, two sons and daughter land in jail". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
16. Ali, Tawfique (25 August 2010). . The Daily Star. Archived from the original on 3 December 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
17. "Former ruling party MP accused of orchestrating 'attempts to muzzle journalism'". Dhaka Tribune. 2021-02-17. Retrieved 2021-02-17.
18. . The Daily Star. 21 January 2013. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
19. "5-star Marriott chain opens in Dhaka". The Daily Star. 19 December 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
20. "HBM Iqbal's wife Momtaz Begum dies". businesspostbd.com. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
21. "Premier Bank Chairman Dr HBM Iqbal's wife passes away". daily-sun. 2022-06-28. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
22. "Premier Bank chairman's wife passes away". The Business Standard. 2022-06-28. Retrieved 2024-02-25.