The High Court yesterday granted ad interim bail for three months to former law minister Moudud Ahmed, former housing and public works minister Mirza Abbas and former BNP lawmaker MAH Salim in separate cases.
Upon petitions of Moudud, Abbas and Salim, two HC vacation benches also stayed the case proceedings against the petitioners for the same period.
Lawyers concerned said in spite of the HC bail Moudud and Mirza Abbas cannot be released from jail as they are arrested in other cases.
The HC bench comprising Justice Mirza Hussain Haider and Justice Mamnoon Rahman passed the orders in the cases against Moudud and Abbas while the HC bench of Justice Khondker Musa Khaled and Justice Farid Ahmed granted bail to Salim.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court (SC) yesterday stayed for one month the HC orders that granted bail to former minister Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, former state ministers AKM Mosharraf Hossain and Dr Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir, and Khandaker Akter Hamid Paban in separate ACC corruption cases.
Hearing petitions filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) against the HC bail orders, Appellate Division's vacation chamber judge Justice Md Joynul Abedin also asked the corruption watchdog to file regular appeals within this period.
MOUDUD, ABBAS
Moudud Ahmed secured bail from the HC in a case for evading Tk 4.12 crore in income tax and another for depositing Tk 2.2 crore to a bank in another person's name through forged documents.
The National Board of Revenue filed the tax evasion case with Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court on August 31 while Motijheel police filed the other case on August 27.
Moudud was arrested at his Gulshan residence on April 13 last year with 16 bottles of foreign liquor, 32 cans of beer and 220 pieces of sari belonging to the government relief fund.
Mirza Abbas got bail in a case filed on charge of selling out 18 abandoned government houses at a fake auction.
On March 29 last year, the ACC filed the case with Motijheel Police Station against Abbas, former commerce minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, former prime minister Khaleda Zia's political secretary Harris Chowdhury, three former secretaries and a number of high officials of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha and Power Development Board.
According to the prosecution, the accused in connivance with one another sold 18 abandoned government houses at a fake auction at prices much lower than their market value.
Moudud and Abbas recently filed writ petitions with the HC, challenging the legality of initiation and continuation of the proceedings of the cases against them.
After hearing their petitions, the HC yesterday also issued rules upon the government to explain why initiation and continuation of the case proceedings against the petitioners should not be declared illegal.
Barrister Rafique-ul Huq assisted by barrister Mahbubuddin Ahmed Khokon and barrister Ahsanul Karim argued for the petitioners.
STAYED HC BAILS
Upon separate petitions, the HC recently granted ad interim bail to BNP leader and former health minister Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain in two criminal cases and stayed the case proceedings.
One of the cases was filed on charge of committing corruption in selling out a plot of Kakoli High School at Dhanmondi when Khandaker Mosharraf was chairman of the school committee. Another case was filed for amassing illegal wealth and concealing its information from the ACC.
The same court had also granted ad interim bail to former state minister for energy AKM Mosharraf Hossain in Gatco corruption case, former state minister for planning Dr Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir in a case involving setting up of a press, and Khandaker Akter Hamid Paban, son of BNP Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain, in a case filed for amassing wealth through illegal means and concealing information from the ACC.
The ACC recently filed applications with the SC for staying these bail orders.
Advocate Khan Saifur Rahman, advocate Anisul Huq and advocate Hafizul Karim Nehal appeared for the ACC.