Ron Sikder’s bail extended until April 11

Ron Haque Sikder. File photo

A Dhaka court yesterday extended the bail of Ron Haque Sikder, managing director of Sikder Group, until April 11 in a case filed over abducting, torturing, and opening fire on two Exim Bank officials over a loan permission.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Rajesh Chowdhury passed the order after a hearing on two petitions -- one for granting Ron's permanent bail and the other for exempting him from personal appearance in the court.

The prosecution submitted a petition seeking cancellation of Ron's bail. It said Ron and his brother Dipu Haque Sikder, who is now abroad, abducted, tortured and opened fire on two Exim Bank officials after they refused to sanction a loan of Tk 500 crore.

The two brothers fled to Bangkok on an air ambulance that left Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport with government permission to avoid arrest. So, his bail should be cancelled, the prosecution added.

The court rejected the prosecution's plea.

The defence yesterday said that their client was sick and a law-biding man.  Ron is a renowned businessman and will never misuse the privilege of bail, the defence said in their petition.

Their client was falsely implicated in the case, the defence also claimed. Their client should be exempted from personal appearance before the court as he is now sick, it added.

After hearing both the sides, the magistrate extended Ron's bail until April 11 and fixed the same date for further hearing on the petition for exempting Ron from personal appearance.

A team of Detective Branch of police arrested Ron soon after he landed at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 10:00am on February 12.

Ron returned to Dhaka from Dubai due to the death of his father.

Later in the day, DB Sub-inspector Md Ripon Uddin, also the investigation officer of the case, produced Ron before the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Ashek Imam.

After a hearing, the magistrate granted Ron ad-interim bail on the grounds that his father died recently and his namaj-e-janaza would be held the next day.

The magistrate also said his bail would remain valid until yesterday.

On May 19 last year, Exim Bank Director Lt Col (retd) Serajul Islam filed the case accusing Ron and his brother Dipu of torturing and trying to kill bank's Managing Director Mohammed Haider Ali Miah and Additional Managing Director Mohammad Feroz Hossain.

The two top officials were attacked after they refused to falsely inflate the value of Sikder brothers' property that would be mortgaged for a loan of Tk 500 crore, according to the case statement.

The brothers also tortured them after confining them to a house in Banani and forced them to sign on a blank piece of paper at gunpoint, reads the case statement.

On May 25 last year, six days after the case was recorded, the two brothers fled to Bangkok on an air ambulance.

The High Court on July 20 that year fined Ron and his brother for seeking anticipatory bail from abroad in the case.

 Rejecting their bail petition, an HC virtual bench ordered the siblings to give 5,000 personal protective equipment each as fine to the Prime Minister's Relief and Welfare Fund in two weeks.

Ron and Dipu were also asked to file a report with the Supreme Court registrar general's office after giving the PPE to the fund.