ACC moves for hearing on 1992 appeal
The Anti-Corruption Commission has taken steps for getting a ruling from the High Court on a 24-year-old appeal filed by former president HM Ershad against a lower court verdict that jailed him for three years in a corruption case.
ACC's lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan yesterday prayed to an HC bench for hearing the appeal for its disposal.
The bench of Justice Bhabani Prasad Singha on Sunday might fix a date for hearing the appeal, Khurshid told The Daily Star yesterday.
He said the then Bureau of Anti-Corruption (Bac), which became defunct after the formation of the ACC in 2004, had filed the case against Ershad with Cantonment Police Station for misappropriating Tk 1.91 crore by misusing power at different times when he was the president of the state from December 11, 1983 to December 6, 1990.
The lawyer said a Dhaka court on February 3 in 1992 convicted Ershad, also Jatiya Party chairman, and sentenced him to three years' imprisonment for misappropriating the money and ordered the authorities concerned to confiscate the money and his Toyota Land Cruiser car for committing corruption.
The same year, Ershad filed an appeal with the HC, challenging the lower court verdict.
Following the appeal, the HC stayed the lower court verdict, he said, adding that on February 26, 2012, the ACC became a party of the case under the HC's permission, as the Bac was not functional.
The ACC lawyer said Ershad had got bail from the HC in the case.
He, however, could not say how long Ershad had served in jail in the case.
Advocate Khurshid said they had earlier tried to get the appeal of Ershad moved before the HC, but there was no single-judge HC bench that has jurisdiction to hear such an appeal relating to corruption.
Meanwhile, wishing anonymity, a JP presidium member yesterday said the government was displeased with the party chief after his younger brother GM Quader attended a meeting on the formation of a new citizens' platform which would work to forge unity over national fundamental issues.
In the meeting held on Saturday, Quader, also co-chairman of JP, hailed the initiative, terming it a “pressure group".
He also called upon the new platform to work so that the government would govern the country as per the constitution.
"His comments might irk the government's high-ups as they thought Quader didn't make such comment without getting permission from his brother [Ershad],” said the JP leader, adding that, "But this is not true."
“Actually, sir [Ershad] wasn't aware of Quader's remarks. He strongly criticised Quader bhai [brother] for his irresponsible remarks that apparently went against the government,” he added.
Quader was being treated at the National Heart Foundation. He couldn't be contacted as his mobile phone was found switched-off.
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