Illegal wealth: Bodi gets HC bail

The High Court today granted six months’ ad-interim bail to Awami League lawmaker Abdur Rahman Bodi in a corruption case, paving the way for his release from jail.

In response to a bail petition, the HC bench of Justice Syed AB Mahmudul Huq and Justice Akram Hossain Chowdhury also issued a rule upon the government to explain why Bodi should not be granted regular bail in the case.

Bodi's lawyer Abdul Matin Khashru told The Daily Star that there is no legal bar to his client's release from jail since he is not accused in any other case.

Meanwhile, Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan told The Daily Star that the commission would move an appeal before the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court for staying the HC’s bail order.     

Earlier on October 12, Bodi ended up in jail after a Dhaka court rejected his bail petition in a corruption case.

On that day, the AL MP from Cox's Bazar-4 constituency surrendered before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's (CMM) Court on expiry of his four-week bail sanctioned by the HC in the case that the ACC had filed charging him with amassing wealth illegally and concealing information in his wealth statement.

According to the case statement, the lawmaker informed the ACC on March 20 that he along with his wife and children owned movable and immovable properties worth Tk 5.20 crore.

But his income tax return showed that they possessed properties worth Tk 16.06 crore till June 30 last year.

Five years back his yearly income was only Tk 2 lakh that rose to Tk 15 crore last year, as per his wealth statements submitted to the Election Commission before the 2008 and the January 5 national elections.

Bodi has appeared to be the godfather of Yaba trade. He has been named in the list of Yaba smugglers prepared by the home ministry.

His three brothers, brother-in-laws and some other relatives have also been listed as traders of the contraband drugs.

Bodi had been mired into a deep controversy in his previous term as MP for his unruly and violent activities.