Corruption Cases: Former AL lawmaker Awal, wife get anticipatory bail

The High Court yesterday granted eight weeks’ anticipatory bail to former Awami League lawmaker of Pirojpur, AKMA Awal, and his wife Laila Parvin in three separate corruption cases filed for misappropriating khas (government) land.

The HC, however, ordered Awal and his wife to surrender before the trial court concerned in eight weeks in connection with the cases.

The bench of Justice Obaidul Hassan and Justice AKM Zahirul Huq came up with the orders following three separate petitions filed by the accused seeking anticipatory bail.

They also appeared before the HC bench during the hearing yesterday.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the cases with its integrated district office in Barishal against Awal for misappropriating khas land.

According to one case statement, the former lawmaker took lease of a khas land using fake documents and constructed a three-storey building on it. The building was rented out to Pirojpur Rural Electricity Cooperative at the rate of Tk 17,250 per month from October 1, 2017, for about three years.

Awal’s wife Laila Parvin was also made accused in the case.

In the second case, Awal was accused of illegally grabbing a government land near Swarupkathi upazila bungalow and building another bungalow there. He also constructed Awal Foundation and Library on it.

According to the statement of the third case, Awal grabbed a 44 decimal pond known as “Rajar Pukur” in Pirojpur town and erected a boundary wall to keep it in his possession.

Advocate Awasafur Rahman appeared for the accused while Advocate Khurshid Alam Khan represented the ACC.