HC to deliver judgement Oct 7

The judgement on Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya's appeal against the 13-year jail term, given by a lower court in 2008, will be delivered by the High Court on October 7.

The bench of justice Md Nazrul Isalm Talukder and Justice KM Hafizul Alam set the date on Tuesday after concluding the re-hearing on the appeal filed by Maya, who is presently the disaster management and relief minister.

A special court on February 14 in 2008 convicted Maya and sentenced him to 13 years in jail, fined him Tk 5 crore and ordered confiscation of nearly Tk 6 crore of his “ill-gotten” wealth. The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the case against the Awami League leader with Sutrapur Police Station on June 13, 2007.

Maya was absconding during the trial of the case and as a result, he was unable to run in the parliamentary elections in 2008. He returned home after his party came to power.

On June 14 of 2015, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, following a leave to appeal petition filed by the ACC, cancelled a previous verdict of the HC that had acquitted Maya of the corruption charges.

The same day, the apex court directed the HC to dispose of Maya's appeal, filed with the HC on May 25 in 2009, against the verdict of the lower court after holding a re-hearing on the appeal. 

On October 27, 2010, following his appeal, the HC acquitted Maya of the corruption charges.

In 2011, the ACC filed a leave to appeal petition with the SC challenging the HC verdict.

Advocate Abdul Baset Majumder represented Maya while Advocate Khurshid Alam Khan represented the ACC.