SC rejects bail to Destiny MD, chairman
The Supreme Court today upheld its earlier order which ruled that two top destiny officials will get released on bail only if they pay Tk 2,800 crore to the government.
The two officials are Destiny Group Managing Director Rafiqul Amin and Destiny Multipurpose Cooperative Society Ltd Chairman Mohammad Hossain.
The duo was arrested in money laundering cases involving Tk 4,200 crore.
A four-member bench of the Appellate Division of the SC headed by Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain rejected a petition filed by the duo seeking modification of its earlier order.
Rafiqul and Hossain cannot get released on bail following the SC order, Anti Corruption Commission lawyer Advocate Khurshid Alam Khan told The Daily Star.
He said the accused Destiny officials did not fulfill conditions imposed by the apex court for their release on bail.
Granting conditional bail to Rafiqul and Hossain, the SC on November 13 last year said they will get released on bail only if they pay Tk 2,800 crore in six weeks to the government by selling 35 lakh matured trees planted under the company’s tree plantation project.
The money would be distributed among the investors affected by the company.
The apex court said if the two fail to manage the money, then they would have to deposit Tk 2,500 crore in cash to the government fund in order to get release from the custody, the Appellate Division of the SC said in the order.
Barrister Rokanuddin Mahmud and Barrister Ajmalul Hossain appeared for Destiny officials.
The ACC in 2012 filed two cases against 22 officials of Destiny Group, including Rafiqul and Hossain, with Kalabagan Police Station for laundering Tk 4,200 crore.
On July 20 last year, the High Court granted bail to the two Destiny officials and on August 24, the SC, following two petitions filed by the ACC, stayed the HC verdict.
The same day, a Dhaka court framed charges against Rafiqul, Destiny 2000 President Lt Gen (retd) Harun-ar-Rashid, who is now on bail, and 49 others in the two money laundering cases.