The High Court (HC) yesterday asked former BNP minister M Saifur Rahman to appear before trial court within four weeks to face Barapukuria coal mine graft case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
After hearing a petition filed by Saifur, a vacation bench of the HC comprising Justice AKM Fazlur Rahman and Justice Sheikh Abdul Awal also directed the government not to harass or arrest the petitioner within this period in this case.
Another vacation bench of the HC granted ad-interim bail for six months to former BNP lawmaker Nazimuddin Alam (Bhola-4) in a criminal case filed with Ramna Police Station on charges of obstructing public safety.
Saifur appeared before the HC bench yesterday as Metropolitan Sessions Judge Md Azizul Haque on Monday issued arrest warrants against nine accused including him in the case.
The eight others are former BNP ministers Aminul Haque and state minister AKM Mosharraf Hossain, former Jamaat minister Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojahid, former acting secretary to the energy and mineral resources ministry Nazrul Islam, former Petrobangla chairman SR Osmani, former Petrobangla director Mainul Ahsan, former managing director of Barapukuria Coal Mine Company Ltd (BCMCL) Sirajul Islam, and Hosaf Group Chairman Moazzem Hossain.
On September 25, the ACC approved charge sheet against BNP Chairperson and former premier Khaleda Zia and 15 other accused for illegally awarding a contract for operating Barapukuria coal mine to a Chinese company.
In the charge sheet, the IO mentioned that the accused caused a loss of about Tk 159 crore to the public exchequer by illegally awarding the contract to China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation (CMC), abusing power.
The IO also said the charges brought against them were primarily proven, and they should be brought to trial.
ACC Assistant Director Shamsul Alam filed the case with Shahbagh Police Station in Dhaka on February 26 this year.
The IO showed Saifur, Nizami, Mojahid, Aminul Haque, AKM Mosharraf, Nazrul Islam, SR Osmani, Mainul Ahsan, Sirajul Islam and Moazzem Hossain as fugitives in the case.
He appealed to the court to issue arrest warrants against them, and orders to confiscate their properties, as they did not obtain bail from any court.
Advocate Abdur Razaque Khan appeared for Saifur while advocate Abdul Aziz Khan stood for the ACC in the HC yesterday.
Besides, an HC bench comprising Justice Mohammad Anwarul Haque and Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury granted bail to Nazimuddin in the case filed on April 9, 2001.
Barrister Mahbubuddin Khokon stood for Nazimuddin.