Tarique's aide denied bail

A Dhaka court today rejected a bail petition of Mia Nur Uddin Apu, personal secretary to BNP Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman, and sent him to jail in a case filed in connection with Tk 21-crore bribery involving the murder of a Bashundhara Group director Humayun Kabir Sabbir.

The bribery case was filed on October 4, 2007 at Ramna Police Station claiming that several people are involved in receiving and giving the bribe to ensure that Shafiat Sobhan Sanvir, son of Bashundhara Group Chairman Shah Alam, did not have to face the charges of murdering Sabbir.

Judge Bashudev Roy of Special Judge Court-3 of Dhaka passed the order today after Apu’s lawyer moved a bail petition in his presence.

Apu was produced before the court on a wheel chair as he has been suffering from different ailments.

In his order, Judge Bashudev said the case was filed in October 2007, and later the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) pressed charges against Apu.

But since he remained absconding for over seven years, his bail petition is rejected, the judge said.  

On May 6 in 2008, the ACC pressed charges against seven people including Sanvir, his father Shah Alam, Khaleda Zia's elder son Tarique Rahman, former state minister for home Lutfozzaman Babar and Apu over the bribery.

Apu surrendered before the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Md Ataul Haque on June 18 this year and sought his bail in an extortion case.

However, the court rejected the plea and sent him to jail. Later, the personal secretary to Tarique was also shown arrested in the bribery case.

On June 19, Judge Bashudev Roy of Special Judge Court-3 of Dhaka fixed today for hearing the bail plea of Apu and asked him to be present.

Tarique was arrested on March 7, 2007 after Amin Ahmed, proprietor of Al Amin Construction Company Ltd filed the extortion case against him and Apu on charges of extorting over Tk one crore from him on December 30, 2006. The BNP Vice-Chairman was also remanded in the case.

Tarique secured a bail from the High Court in the case later.

Apu, among the companions of Tarique, is believed to have made a huge amount of illegal wealth by misusing Hawa Bhaban, the so-called alternative power house of the then BNP-led government.

He had gone into hiding after the arrests of Khaleda and Tarique in 2007. It is believed he used to stay in Malaysia and London before his surrender.

Apu made the surrender before the Dhaka court with the hope to get bail as advised by Tarique, sources said.