SC stays case against Nazmul Huda, wife

The Supreme Court yesterday stayed for four weeks the trial proceedings of a 12-year-old corruption case filed against former BNP communications minister Nazmul Huda and his wife Sigma Huda.

Chamber judge of the SC’s Appellate Division Justice Hasan Foez Siddique passed the order following a petition filed by the duo, challenging a High Court order.

The HC on February 5 summarily rejected another petition filed by them, seeking cancellation of the trial proceedings of the case filed by Anti-Corruption Commission.

Yesterday, the SC chamber judge asked Nazmul and Sigma to file a leave to appeal petition challenging the HC order.

The proceedings against them will not run for four weeks following the SC order, said ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan.

He said ACC filed the case with Motijheel Police Station on June 18, 2008 accusing Nazmul and Sigma of taking Tk 6 lakh as bribe from a contractor.

Following another petition, the HC in 2016 scrapped the case’s trial proceedings. In 2017, the Appellate Division cancelled the HC verdict.

The Special Judge Court-6 of Dhaka has framed charges of the case, Advocate Khurshid said, adding that Nazmul and Sigma are now on bail in the case. Barrister Nazmul Huda argued for themselves.