Md: Asif Chowdhury, Special Correspondent:
The ongoing dispute over the ownership of Lakeshore Hotel, built over 22 years of hard work by founder entrepreneur Kazi Tarek Shams and his family members, has taken a new turn. Lawyers for Tarek Shams claim that the CID's impartial forensic investigation found no evidence of signature forgery in the case filed over the transfer of 1% shares, signature forgery, and fraud allegations.
On the afternoon of September 3, Kazi Tarek Shams presented his position at a briefing held in his room at Lakeshore Hotel.
It is known that Kazi Tarek Shams's father, Kazi Shamsul Haque, was the owner of 1% of the shares of Lakeshore Hotel. In 2021, he voluntarily and with a sound mind transferred those shares to his son Tarek Shams through Form 117. This transfer was completed in accordance with the rules of the Joint Stock Companies.
Subsequently, other family members alleged that the shares were misappropriated by taking advantage of the father's illness. A case was filed in Tejgaon police station regarding this matter. The first investigating officer of the case reported that he found preliminary truth, leading the court to issue an arrest warrant against the accused on August 31.
However, Tarek Shams's side claims that a conspiracy was made to issue the warrant directly by concealing the summons or notice. Upon learning of this, he appeared in the higher court and the relevant court and obtained bail.
The CID took over the investigation as per the court's directive. The CID collected nine original signature cards from the bank and had them examined by a handwriting expert. According to Tarek Shams's side, the CID report clearly states that the signatures are completely perfect and accurate, and no evidence of forgery was found.
Highlighting the history of family property distribution, Tarek Shams stated that his father distributed the property during his lifetime to avoid future disputes.
According to documents, on August 14, 1999, through a declaration by Kazi Momtaz Shirin, in exchange for financial benefits, Farhana Jahan and other members pledged that they would not make any future claims on Kazi Shamsul Haque's other properties, houses, land, bank balances, or business establishments. Additionally, written no-claim stamps were obtained from each child in 2004, 2009, and 2010.
The main owner of the land on which Lakeshore is established is Tarek Shams's mother. She has firmly taken a stand in support of her son. The only surviving uncle of the family, former CSP officer Kazi Habibul Haque, also testified in support of Tarek Shams in a video message at Lakeshore Hotel on September 3 and highlighted the inconsistencies in the legal process of the case.
On the other hand, after the father fell ill due to old age in 2023, the opposing party applied to the court to declare the father incapacitated. However, it is reported that the learned court dismissed that application after hearing the mother's statement in person.
Tarek Shams alleges that a former employee of the institution, Masud, has fueled this dispute and provided false information.
He said, "The shares my father gave me, he voluntarily returned to me. This is a normal family settlement. Beyond this, no one else had any legal rights in the company."
A legal battle is ongoing in this regard.
News Published By:
Bangladesh Diary
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