Bhuiyan, Tarique, Babar, 11 others get HC bail
The High Court (HC) yesterday granted bails to 14 bigwigs, including former LGRD minister Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Tarique Rahman and former state minister for home Lutfozzaman Babar, in 22 criminal cases.
Following separate petitions filed by the accused, an HC bench comprising Justice Sharif Uddin Chaklader and Justice Md Emdadul Haque Azad ordered the bails in cases filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), the government and individuals.
The court also stayed proceedings of most of the cases and issued rules asking the state to explain why the petitioners should not be granted regular bail and why proceedings against them should not be quashed.
With yesterday's bail orders, this HC bench has so far granted ad interim and anticipatory bails to at least 60 political persons, including detained BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Motiur Rahman Nizami and Khaleda's former parliamentary affairs adviser Salauddin Quader Chowdhury, in different criminal cases, an ACC counsel told The Daily Star.
The other accused who got bail yesterday also include former BNP minister Tariqul Islam, former state minister Aman Ullah Aman, former lawmakers Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu, Salauddin Ahmed, Ali Asgar Loby, Nazimuddin Alam and Alamgir Farid, former Awami League lawmaker Kamal Ahmed Majumder, former Rajshahi City Corporation mayor Mizanur Rahman Minu and Sylhet City Corporation (SCC) Mayor Badaruddin Ahmed Kamran.
CASES AGAINST TARIQUE, BABAR
Tarique, also the eldest son of Khaleda, was granted six months' ad interim bail in five cases--three extortion cases, a corruption case for amassing wealth illegally and concealing wealth information from the ACC, and a tax evasion case filed by the National Board of Revenue (NBR).
On his separate petitions, the HC also stayed proceedings against him in the extortion cases for six months.
The HC bench stayed the proceedings against Tarique in the Tk 21 crore bribery case involving the murder of Bashundhara Group Director Humayun Kabir Sabbir.
The bench also granted ad interim bail to Babar in this case and stayed its proceedings against him until October 22. It also granted ad interim bail for one year to Bashundhara Group Director Abu Sufian and stayed proceedings against him for the same period.
On October 4 last year, ACC Deputy Assistant Director Abul Kashem filed the case with Ramna Police Station, accusing six persons including Babar for receiving and giving the bribe to ensure that Shafiat Sobhan Sanvir, son of Bashundhara Group Chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan alias Shah Alam, did not face charges for killing Sabbir. Sabbir's body was found outside a building in Bashundhara residential area on July 5, 2006.
Tarique's counsel barrister Mahbubuddin Khokon yesterday told The Daily Star that Tarique is arrested in 13 cases and he has been granted bail in 12. Proceedings against him in all the cases have been stayed.
"Tarique Rahman will now have to secure bail only in the Tk 21 crore bribery case to get released from jail. A petition for bail in this case is pending with the Appellate Division," he said, adding that they would move the petition at the Appellate Division today.
CASE AGAINST KAMRAN
The HC bench granted six months' ad interim bail to Kamran in two cases--a corruption case for amassing wealth illegally and concealing wealth information from the ACC and another case for violating Emergency Power Rules (EPR).
The SCC mayor was arrested on June 29 last year at the Gulshan Hotel in Sylhet. A detention order had been issued against him on June 4.
Kamran's lawyer advocate AM Amin Uddin said police earlier filed a case against Kamran on charges of violating the EPR.
On February 6 this year, the ACC filed a case with Sylhet Model Police Station against Kamran and his wife Asma Kamran for accumulating wealth worth Tk 2 crore 16 lakh.
In 2003 during the rule of the BNP-led alliance government, a case was filed against Kamran, the SCC executive engineer and a few ward commissioners for committing corruption in allocating kitchen markets. The police arrested the mayor on April 5 last year after a court issued a warrant for his arrest in connection with the case.
CASES AGAINST OTHERS
Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, who was already released on bail, yesterday obtained anticipatory bail for four months in the Barapukuria coal mine scam case filed by the ACC. He appeared before the HC bench yesterday for bail in the case.
Salauddin Quader got ad interim bail in five cases including three for extortion.
The bail of former BNP information minister M Shamsul Islam was extended for six months yesterday. He recently secured one month's HC bail in connection with the Gatco corruption case.
Aman Ullah Aman was granted ad interim bail for six months in two cases filed by the ACC and the NBR. The court also stayed proceedings against him in these cases for six months.
The HC bench granted two months' ad interim bail to Tariqul in a case filed by the ACC for amassing illegal wealth and stayed proceedings against him for two months.
Pintu and Minu each got six months' bail in cases filed by the ACC for accumulating illegal wealth. The court also stayed the proceedings against them for the same period.
The HC granted two months' bail each to Kamal Ahmed in a tax evasion case filed by the NBR and to Loby in a case filed by the ACC. The court stayed proceedings against them in the cases for the same period.
The HC bench stayed for two months the proceedings against former BNP lawmaker Ilias Ali in two cases--a corruption case filed by the ACC and an extortion case. Earlier, Ilias was granted bail in these cases from the HC.
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