HC seeks all docs of graft case against Haji Salim

Haji Mohammad Salim. File photo

The High Court yesterday asked for the record of a corruption case in which independent lawmaker and Awami League leader Haji Mohammad Salim was sentenced to 13 years in 2008.

Haji Salim was sentenced by a lower court in the case but the HC acquitted him after he appealed. The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, after another appeal by the Anti-Corruption Commission, later scrapped the acquittal order and asked the HC to rehear the appeal.

The HC yesterday ordered the special judge's court-7 of Dhaka, which had sentenced Haji Salim, to send all relevant documents of the case by December 7.

The HC bench of Justice Md Moinul Islam Chowdhury and Justice AKM Zahirul Huq also fixed December 7 for rehearing the appeal filed by Haji Salim challenging the trial court verdict.

The bench came up with the order following a prayer moved by the Anti-Corruption Commission's lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan for fixing a date for rehearing the appeal.

Lawyer Sayeed Ahmed Raza appeared for Haji Salim.

The ACC filed the case against Haji Salim with Lalbagh Police Station on October 24, 2007, on charge of amassing illegal assets. On April 27, 2008, the special judge's court-7 of Dhaka convicted Haji Salim and sentenced him.

Haji Salim filed the appeal with the HC on October 25, 2009.

Following the appeal, the HC on January 2, 2011, acquitted Haji Salim.

The ACC then appealed against the HC verdict before the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court. The Appellate Division on January 12, 2015, scrapped the HC verdict and directed the HC to rehear Haji Salim's appeal and to dispose of the appeal again.

The ACC recently took an initiative for rehearing the appeal of Haji Salim after Irfan Salim, son of Haji Salim, was arrested in connection with beating up a navy officer.