Tk 2,800cr bail order for 2 Destiny officials upheld by SC

The Supreme Court yesterday upheld its earlier order which ruled that two top Destiny officials will be released on bail only when they pay Tk 2,800 crore to the government by selling 35 lakh matured trees planted under the company's tree plantation project.

The two -- Destiny Group Managing Director Rafiqul Amin and Destiny Multipurpose Cooperative Society Ltd Chairman Mohammad Hossain -- were arrested in two money laundering cases involving Tk 4,200 crore.

In 2012, the Anti-Corruption Commission filed the cases against 22 officials of Destiny Group, including Rafiqul and Hossain, with Kalabagan Police Station.

A four-member bench of the Appellate Division of the SC headed by Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain rejected a petition filed by the two seeking modification of its earlier order.

ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan told The Daily Star that the Destiny officials did not fulfill conditions imposed by the apex court for their release on bail.

The ACC lawyer also said Justice Md Abbul Wahhab Miah, who is performing functions of the chief justice, refused to hear the modification petition.

Barrister Rokanuddin Mahmud and Barrister Ajmalul Hossain appeared for the Destiny officials.

On November 13 last year, the SC passed the conditional bail order.

The Destiny officials earlier submitted a statement to the SC saying that 35 lakh trees were planted at different places across the country under its tree plantation project. Each tree could be sold at Tk 8,000 on an average and the total amount from the trees would be Tk 2,800 crore.