"Serving Time for 36,000 Won: The Reality of Bangladesh's Poor"

13 Cases Detected This Year at Bangladesh Chattogram Prison
Prison Term Fees Ranging from 36,000 to 180,000 Won Traded

There have been consecutive cases in Bangladesh where impoverished people have served prison sentences on behalf of others in exchange for money. The reason was 'poverty.'

Serving time for 36,000 KRW... Exposed through fingerprint verification

[Image source=Pixabay]

On the 9th, local media including The Daily Star in Bangladesh introduced the case of Mojibur Rahman, a tea merchant from Chittagong.

Mojibur served a prison sentence on behalf of Nasir Ahmed, who was convicted in a check fraud case.

The actual duration of imprisonment is unknown, but Mojibur received 3,000 taka (approximately 36,000 KRW) from Nasir in exchange for serving the sentence.

This was uncovered by the Chattogram (formerly Chittagong) prison authorities in March. Eventually, Mojibur was charged with fraud and perjury.

A Bangladeshi woman named Monira Begum is another similar case.

Monira was caught serving a sentence on behalf of a woman named Senuwara Begum, who was imprisoned after being tried for a drug case.

The prison authorities collected Senuwara's fingerprints and compared them with records stored on the computer server of the National Registration Authority, revealing the truth. Monira was also serving the sentence on behalf of Senuwara in exchange for money.

Compensation for serving time ranges from 36,000 KRW to 180,000 KRW, 13 cases detected this year

[Image source=Pixabay]

According to investigations conducted by prison authorities on inmates this year, 13 such cases have been detected. Among the 13 stand-ins (代役者, people who take on the role on behalf of others), two are still incarcerated, while the rest have been released on bail.

Sources from the prison and courts explained, "This issue is occurring because of a group of dishonest lawyers."

The media reported, "Most of the stand-ins detected this time are impoverished people," adding, "They received compensation ranging from as little as 3,000 taka (approximately 36,000 KRW) to as much as 15,000 taka (approximately 180,000 KRW)."

A representative from Chattogram prison stated, "Since January, the prison has had access rights to the National Registration Authority's server, which enabled us to detect the stand-in corruption."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.