HC quashes cases against family members of Tariqul, Redwan, Salim

The High Court (HC) yesterday threw away the corruption cases filed by the Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) against family members of former BNP minister Tariqul Islam, former state minister Redwan Ahmed, and former lawmaker MAH Salim.
Upon separate writ petitions, an HC bench comprising Justice Mohammad Abdur Rashid and Justice Md Ashfaqul Islam delivered the judgments declaring illegal the case proceedings against Tariqul Islam's wife Nargis Begum, their sons Shantanu Islam and Aninda Islam, Shantanu's wife Lamia Sharmin, Redwan Ahmed's wife Momtaz Ahmed, MAH Salim's wife Amena Begum, and their son Mehedi Hasan.
Advocate AHM Mizanur Rahman, a counsel for the petitioners, told The Daily Star that the court delivered the judgments on the ground that ACC had implicated the family members in the cases, filed against the principal accused, without issuing any notice to the families.
ACC's Jessore office Deputy Director Manzur Morshed filed a case against Tariqul, his wife Prof Nargis Begum, their two sons Shantanu Islam and Aninda Islam, and their daughter-in-law Lamia Sharmin on September 9 last year.
The commission submitted a charge sheet against them on February 28 this year, showing 46 people as prosecution witnesses. The former minister was arrested on February 5 last year, while his accused family members are in hiding.
On December 19 last year, ACC filed a case against Redwan Ahmed and his wife Momtaz Ahmed with Ramna police station on charges of illegally amassing wealth worth over Tk 2.95 crore, and for giving false information to the commission. Momtaz was implicated for abetting her husband.
ACC Assistant Director Ali Akbar, on December 6, 2007, filed with Ramna police station the case against MAH Salim, his wife Amena Begum, and their son Mehedi Hasan for amassing illegal wealth.
In the first information report, the complainant said Salim concealed information about his property worth Tk 12.38 crore in the wealth statement submitted to ACC, and accumulated Tk 62.96 crore illegally.
The cases are pending in Special Judges' Courts set on the parliament building premises in the capital.
Nargis Begum, Shantanu Islam, Aninda Islam, Lamia Sharmin, Momtaz Ahmed, Amena Begum, and Mehedi Hasan filed separate writ petitions with the HC challenging the legality of the cases against them. In the petitions they prayed for quashing the case proceedings against them.
Following the writ petitions, the HC earlier stayed the proceedings against them and also issued separate rules upon the government to explain why the proceedings should not be quashed.
After holding final hearings on the petitions, the HC bench yesterday delivered the judgments.
Barrister Shafique Ahmed, Barrister Mahbubuddin Khokon, Advocate Mizanur Rahman, Advocate Tobarak Hossain, and Advocate Shah Manzurul Haque represented the petitioners, while Advocate Abdul Aziz Khan and Advocate Khurshid Alam Khan represented ACC.