Pirojpur district judge transferred hours after ruling against AL ex-MP

District and Sessions judge of Pirojpur, Abdul Mannan, has been stand released today on charges of corruption. He has been attached to the law ministry.

Law ministry sources said the ministry took the decision as it received corruption allegations against Judge Abdul Mannan earlier and departmental proceedings were underway against him. The ministry took the decision on Supreme Court's approval.

The sources, however, did not give out any details about the corruption allegations found against Abdul Mannan. 

Contacted, Law Minister Anisul Huq refused to make any comment on the issue, saying he wants to remain impartial.  

Earlier in the day, the court of Judge Abdul Mannan ordered to send former Awami League lawmaker AKMA Awal and his wife Laila Parvin to jail, rejecting their bail prayers in three corruption cases.

The ex-MP of Pirojpur-1, also president of district Awami League, was accused in three cases filed over misappropriating khas (government) land while his wife was accused in one of the cases by the Anti-corruption commission (ACC).

Judge Abdul Mannan passed the rejection order when Awal and his wife appeared before it with bail prayers, our correspondent from Pirojpur reports, quoting ACC lawyer Mansur Uddin Hawladar.

After the court passed the rejection order, supporters of the ex-MP started demonstrating at the court premises, our correspondent reports.

Later, Awal and Laila Parvin received bail from another court of the district.

Joint District and Sessions Judge Nahid Nasrin, who has been given the responsibility to discharge as acting district and sessions judge of Pirojpur, granted bail to Awal and his wife after they moved an application for reviewing the bail rejection order passed by Judge Abdul Mannan, our correspondent said quoting Awal's lawyer Shahidul Haque Khan Panna.

In the review petition, the accused said they were physically ill.

Advocate Shahidul Haque Khan Panna, also the general secretary of Pirojpur Bar Association, said Judge Abdul Mannan is no more a judge of Pirojpur as he has been transferred. 

ACC Deputy Director Ali Akbar filed the cases with the commission's integrated district office in Barishal on December 30 last year.

Earlier, on January 7, Awal and his wife took interim bail from the High Court. Later on, the Supreme Court carried on the HC's order following the appeal of ACC for canceling the bail.

Awal was an MP from Pirojpur-1 for two consecutive terms in 2008 and 2014.

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

His wife Laila is an accused in the case.