HC once again acquits Maya in graft case
The High Court yesterday again acquitted Disaster Management and Relief Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya in a corruption case in which he had been sentenced to 13 years' imprisonment.
It scrapped the lower court verdict in the case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission during the regime of the military-backed caretaker government.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. The bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice KM Hafizul Alam delivered the verdict after rehearing an appeal filed by Maya challenging the lower court judgment.
The HC judges cleared Maya of graft on the grounds that the ACC could not prove the allegation of amassing illegal wealth against him beyond reasonable doubt, ACC's lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan told The Daily Star.
He said the anti-graft body would decide whether it would move an appeal before the Supreme Court's Appellate Division against the HC verdict.
Maya's lawyer Sayeed Ahmed Raza told reporters that the HC cancelled the lower court verdict as he was not involved in any corruption, and there were no grounds for punishing him in the case.
The ACC lodged the case against Maya, also an Awami League leader, with Sutrapur Police Station in Old Dhaka on June 13, 2007.
On February 14, 2008, a special court convicted and sentenced him to 13 years in jail, fined him Tk 5 crore and ordered confiscation of about Tk 6 crore of his “ill-gotten” wealth.
Maya, who was on the run during the trial, did not contest the 2008 parliamentary election. He returned home after his party came to power.
On May 25, 2009, Maya filed an appeal with the HC against the lower court judgment.
The HC acquitted him on October 27, 2010. In the verdict, the HC said “no legal notice was served upon Maya” for prosecuting him in the case.
In 2011, the ACC filed a leave-to-appeal plea with the SC challenging the HC verdict.
On June 14, 2015, the Appellate Division cancelled the HC verdict that cleared Maya's name from the charges in the graft case.
The apex court also ordered the HC for rehearing the appeal Maya had submitted to the HC against the trial court verdict.
In its order, the Appellate Division said, “No notice is required by the ACC for prosecution of an offender in respect of an offence punishable under section 27 of the Durniti Daman Commission Ain [Anti-Corruption Commission Act], 2004.”
The top court also observed in the order that “the High Court Division has not at all applied its judicial mind in acquitting the respondent [Maya]”.
Later, Maya filed a petition with the SC seeking review of its verdict.
On April 10, 2016, the apex court dismissed his review petition and upheld the order.
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