Joynal Hazari acquitted of charges

The High Court (HC) yesterday in a verdict acquitted former Awami League lawmaker Joynal Abedin Hazari alias Joynal Hazari of the charges of an arms case, in which he was earlier convicted and sentenced to life-term imprisonment.
The court delivered the verdict declaring illegal Hazari's conviction and sentence handed down by a court in Feni.
The HC bench of Justice AFM Abdur Rahman and Justice SM Emdadul Hoque came up with the judgement upon a petition filed by Hazari for quashing the proceedings of the case and scrapping the lower court verdict.
His counsel Advocate Shahjahan Shaju yesterday told The Daily Star that the HC delivered the verdict acquitting his client and scrapping his conviction on the grounds that the allegations brought against him in this case were not proved.
He said there is no bar on his way of getting released from the jail, following yesterday's HC verdict.
Hazari, general secretary of Feni district Awami League, was accused in total 23 cases, but, earlier, he got bail in 11 cases and was acquitted of the charges of another 12 cases with yesterday's one among the total cases against him, he said.
On August 17, 2001, the joint forces raided the 'Shaila Kutir' of Hazari at Masterpara in Feni in his absence and recovered huge arms and ammunition including a rifle, two loaded revolvers, sub-machine gun magazine, 431 bullets, lethal weapons and contraband items including Viagra. Hazari was said to have fled the country the same day.
Feni police filed a case against Hazari and his private secretary Farooq Hossain Mridha in this connection.
The district and sessions judge in Feni on August 10, 2003, convicted and sentenced Hazari and Farooq to life imprisonment (31 years and six months) in the case.
Farooq was acquitted of the charges in this case in 2003 following an HC order.
Advocate Abdul Baset Majumder argued for Hazari.