Verdict on Maya's appeal against conviction today

The High Court yesterday deferred till today the delivery of its judgement on an appeal filed by Relief and Disaster Management Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya against a lower court verdict that had sentenced him to 13 years' imprisonment in a corruption case.

The bench of Justice Md Nazrul Isalm Talukder and Justice KM Hafizul Alam passed the deferment order as Maya's lawyer Advocate Sayed Ahmed Raja yesterday placed further arguments before it.

The bench, which was scheduled to deliver the verdict yesterday, will hear arguments from Anti-Corruption Commission's lawyer Advocate Khurshid Alam Khan and then announce the verdict today, said Deputy Attorney General AKM Amin Uddin Manik.

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

The same day, the apex court directed the HC to hold re-hearing on and dispose of Maya's appeal against the lower court verdict.

The ACC filed the case against Maya, also an Awami League leader, with Sutrapur Police Station on June 13, 2007.

A special court on February 14, 2008, 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 stand in the 2008 parliamentary elections. He returned home after his party came to power.

He filed the appeal with the HC on May 25, 2009, which on October 27, 2010 acquitted him. In 2011, the ACC filed the leave to appeal petition with the SC challenging the HC verdict.