The High Court yesterday dismissed an appeal filed by BNP lawmaker Harunur Rashid that challenged a lower court verdict sentencing him five years' imprisonment for evading tax while importing a luxury car.

The court, however, commuted the jail sentence of Harunur, MP of Chapainawabganj-3, from five years to the period that he has already served -- 16 months -- in connection with the case.

The full text of the HC verdict is yet to be released.

"A person shall be disqualified for election as, or for being, a member of Parliament who has been, on conviction for a criminal offence involving moral turpitude, sentenced to imprisonment for a term of not less than two years, unless a period of five years has elapsed since his release," according to the article 66 (2) of the constitution.

Harunur's lawyer AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon told The Daily Star that there was no legal bar for his client to remain as a lawmaker and to contest elections for the same post in future as the HC has upheld his 16 months' jail sentence.

"We will move an appeal before the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court against the High Court verdict and seeking acquittal of the case," he added.

Meanwhile, Anti-Corruption Commission's (ACC) lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan told this correspondent that five years' imprisonment of lawmaker Harunur Rashid has been upheld as the HC has dismissed his appeal and therefore, he cannot remain as a member of parliament following the HC verdict.

Yesterday, the HC also dismissed two separate appeals filed by Enayetur Rahman Bappi, former managing director of NTV, and Istiaq Sadek, owner of Sky Autos, who were also convicted and sentenced to imprisonments for separate periods in the same case.

The HC bench of Justice Md Salim delivered the verdict holding hearing on all the three appeals filed by Harunur, Enayetur and Istiaq challenging the trial court verdict.

"All three appeals are dismissed. However, the sentence is served out," the bench said in the short verdict.

A Dhaka court on October 21, 2019, sentenced Harunur Rashid to five years' imprisonment, Enayetur Rahman Bappi to two years' imprisonment and Istiaq Sadek to three years' imprisonment in the case filed for tax evasion.

The tax was dodged by abusing the MPs' duty-free car import facilities, according to the case statement.