Graft case: 13-yr jail term for Maya remains

The Supreme Court today upheld its earlier order that had scrapped a High Court verdict clearing Relief and Disaster Management Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya of corruption charges.

A four-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha rejected a petition filed by Maya, seeking review of its judgment that cancelled his acquittal by the High Court.

The apex court passed the order as Maya’s lawyer Abdul Based Majumder told the court that his client will not proceed with the review petition, Khurshid Alam Khan, a lawyer for the Anti-Corruption Commission, told The Daily Star.

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A special court on February 14, 2008, convicted Maya 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.

On June 14 last year, the Supreme Court scrapped the HC verdict that cleared his name from the charges in the graft case on October 27, 2010.

The apex court also ordered rehearing the appeal Maya had filed with the HC against the verdict of a lower court, which sentenced him for illegally amassing wealth worth Tk 6.29 crore and concealing assets worth Tk 5.90 crore.

The ACC filed the case against Maya with Sutrapur Police Station on June 13, 2007.