Farmers Bank Scam: HC stays Rashedul Haque Chisty’s bail

The High Court yesterday stayed till May 28 a lower court order that granted bail to Rashedul Haque Chisty, son of Farmers Bank audit committee's former chairman Mahbubul Haque Chisty, in a Tk 159 crore money laundering case.

The bench of Justice Jahangir Hossain Selim came up with the stay order after virtually hearing a petition by Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) through email, seeking stay on the lower court order that granted bail to Rashedul.

The HC set May 28 for further hearing on the stay petition, and asked ACC to submit the lower court order.

Rashedul Haque Chishty cannot get released from jail following the High Court's stay order, ACC's lawyer Khurshid Alarm Khan told The Daily Star yesterday.

He said the High Court stayed the bail of Rashedul Haque Chishty considering the gravity of his offence.

Besides, the High Court had rejected a bail petition of Rashedul in October 2018 in the same case with some observations which the lower court did not consider while granting bail on Tuesday, the ACC lawyer said.

He said the ACC filed the case with Gulshan Police Station in April, 2018 against Rashedul, his father Mahbubul Haque Chisty and some others on charges of laundering Tk 159 crore.

Advocate Khurshid Alarm Khan said the lower courts in Dhaka have granted bail to Rashedul Haque Chishty in four corruption cases recently.

The ACC will move separate petitions before the High Court seeking stay on the three bail orders passed by the lower courts, he added.

On Tuesday, Rashedul got bail through hearings in two virtual courts in Dhaka in two money laundering cases.

Metropolitan Magistrate Md Sarafuzzaman Ansary passed the order after Rashedul's lawyer Shahinur Islam submitted a petition through email seeking bail for his client, in a case filed over laundering Tk 58 crore.