6 political leaders get HC bail

Eight people including six political leaders yesterday secured ad-interim bail for three months from the High Court (HC) in separate cases filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and National Board of Revenue (NBR). Following separate petitions filed by the accused, a vacation bench of the HC comprising Justice Mirza Hussain Haider and Justice Mamnoon Rahman stayed case-proceedings against them for the same period.
The HC also issued separate rules upon the ACC and government to explain within four weeks why initiation and continuation of the case-proceedings should not be declared illegal.
The accused leaders who got bail are former BNP health minister Dr Khandker Mosharraf Hossain, former housing and public works minister Mirza Abbas, former state minister for home Lutfozzaman Babar, former BNP lawmaker Mosaddak Ali Falu, former Barisal City Corporation (BCC) mayor Majibar Rahman Sarwar and Jubo League general secretary Mirza Azam.
The HC bench also granted anticipatory bail to Khandker Mosharraf's wife Bilkis Akhter and Majibar Rahman's wife Syeda Nasima in separate cases against them. Both appeared before the court.
Barrister Mahbubuddin Khokon, counsel for Khandker Mosharraf and his wife, told this correspondent that the former minister got bail in a case filed by the ACC on charge of misappropriating public money and his wife in a tax evasion case filed by the NBR.
Mojibur Rahaman and his wife were granted bail in a tax evasion case filed by the NBR, Khokon said.
Mirza Abbas obtained bail in a money laundering case while Lutfozzaman Babar in a case filed by the ACC on charge of taking Tk 21 crore in bribe for suppressing the murder of Bashundhara Group director Humayun Kabir Sabbir. Falu got bail in a case for misappropriating government relief materials.
Their counsel Ahsanul Karim told newsmen that his clients would not get release now since they were arrested also in other cases.
Mirza Azam's lawyer Motahar Hossain Saju said his client has been granted bail in a corruption case filed by the ACC on charge of amassing illegal wealth and concealing information about it.