SC stays Khandaker Mosharraf’s HC bail

The Supreme Court today stayed until September 2 a High Court order that had granted bail to BNP leader Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain in a money laundering case.

A five-member bench of the Appellate Division of the SC headed by Chief Justice Md Muzammel Hossain passed the stay order after hearing two separate petitions filed by the government and the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) seeking stay on the HC verdict.

The apex court also directed the government and ACC to file separate leave to appeal petitions with the court against the HC verdict by September 2.

ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan told The Daily Star that Mosharraf cannot get release from jail until further order from the Supreme Court following its today’s stay order.

On July 9, the HC granted bail to Mosharraf in the case on three conditions.

The conditions are: Mosharraf will have to surrender his passport to the trial court concerned, he cannot leave the country, and cannot contact with the UK bank, where he allegedly deposited the money, during the trial.

The ACC on February 6 sued the former health minister for laundering over Tk 9.53 crore to the United Kingdom.

ACC Director Nasim Anwar filed the case with Ramna Police Station stating that the BNP leader amassed the amount between 2001 and 2006 and deposited that with a bank account in the UK.