HC questions bail order for ex-AL MP Awal, his wife

The High Court today questioned a Pirojpur court order that granted bail to former Awami League lawmaker AKMA Awal and his wife Laila Parvin in three corruption cases in March this year.

The HC issued three separate rules asking the government, Awal and Laila to explain in two weeks why the Pirojpur court's bail order should not be cancelled.

The bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Ahmed Sohel came up with the rules following three separate revision petitions filed by the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) on September 14, seeking cancellation of the Pirojpur court bail order.

In the revision petitions, the ACC said the district Joint District and Sessions Judge Nahid Nasrin, who granted bail to Awal and Laila, has no proper jurisdictionto pass the order.

Besides, there are specific allegations of corruption against the accused, the ACC said in the petitions.

ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan told The Daily Star that the court of the then Pirojpur district and sessions judge Abdul Mannan on March 3 had ordered the authorities concerned to send Awal and his wife to jail, rejecting their bail prayers in three corruption cases.

Later, on the same day, Nasrin, who has been given the responsibility of acting district and sessions judge of Pirojpur, granted them bail after they moved a review petition.

Hours after sending Awal and his wife to jail, judge Mannan was stand-released over corruption allegations and attached to the law ministry on approval from the Supreme Court on March 3.

Awal, an ex-MP of the Pirojpur-1 constituency, also president of the district AL, is accused in three cases filed for leasing khas (government) land using fake documents.

His wife is accused in one case.

On January 7, Awal and his wife were granted anticipatory bail from the HC.

Later, the Appellate Division of the SC upheld the HC order after the anti-graft watchdog appealed for cancelling their bail.

Awal was MP from Pirojpur-1 for two consecutive terms in 2008 and 2014.

According to one case statement, the former lawmaker took lease of khas land using fake documents and built a three-storey building on it.

The building was rented out to Nazirpur office of Pirojpur Palli Bidyut Samity for Tk 17,250 a month from October 1, 2017.

Advocate Khurshid and Deputy Attorney General AKM Amin Uddin Manik represented the ACC and government respectively while Advocate Awsafur Rahman appeared for Awal and Laila during the virtual hearing of the revision petitions yesterday before the HC.