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Download PDF Detained former prime minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday filed two writ petitions with the High Court (HC) challenging the legality of the Anti-corruption Commission’s (ACC) notice served on her, asking to submit wealth statement, and the government move to charge her with extortion under Emergency Power Rules (EPR).
Three days before the time the ACC stipulated for Hasina to submit her wealth statement expiries, the Awami League (AL) president challenged the ACC’s notice. The commission on July 17 sent the notice to prison authorities for serving Hasina at a sub-jail on the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban complex.
A week ago, Hasina filed another writ petition challenging the government move to bring a Tk 3 crore extortion case filed against her under the EPR. She obtained an ad-interim bail from the HC, which also ordered the government not to hold the trial under EPR. The Supreme Court (SC) on August 2, however, stayed the HC order till August 14.
Barrister Rafique-ul Huq filed the petitions on her behalf with a HC bench yesterday afternoon and those are likely to be heard today (Monday). More then 100 lawyers were present at the courtroom yesterday.
Earlier in the day, Hasina’s lawyers took permission from the court for filing the writ petitions.
Many AL leaders and activists also gathered at the court premises yesterday including AL presidium member Motia Chowdhury and Shahara Khatun.
After filing of the petitions, Hasina’s lawyers declined to say anything, before the hearing, about their legal grounds for challenging the ACC’s notice and bringing the case filed against Hasina under the EPR.
The lawyers, however, hinted that one of the two writ petitions is almost identical to Hasina’s writ petition which she filed a week ago challenging the government move to bring the Tk 3 crore extortion case against her under the EPR.
Azam J Chowdhury, managing director of Eastcoast Trading Pvt Ltd, filed the case against Hasina with Gulshan Police Station on June 13 this year in connection with extorting Tk 3 crore.
The AL chief’s yesterday’s writ petition challenges the government’s move to bring another similar extortion case filed against her by AL leader and businessman Noor Ali, in connection with the extortion of Tk 5-crore over a power plant deal 10 years ago, under the EPR.
Advocates Mahbubey Alam and Abdul Matin Khasru, two of Hasina’s lawyers, told reporters that Hasina is willing to submit her wealth statement to the ACC, but she is in prison. She does not have any documents with her and the law enforcers even seized all papers and documents from her house when they arrested her, they added.
The lawyers said Hasina sought help from Bangladesh Bank and the ACC for submitting her wealth statement but she did not get any help. They said Hasina is willing to submit the statement but the government does not want her to.
In response to a petition filed by Tejgaon police, Metropolitan Magistrate Mizanur Rahman on July 29 ordered Hasina to be shown arrested in the extortion case filed by Noor Ali on June 13.
Noor Ali, managing director of Unique Group of Companies, in his case also accused Hasina’s cousin Sheikh Helal and his wife Rupa Chowdhury.
Her lawyers said the police with malafide intentions did not submit the charge sheet of the case before it brought the under the EPR.
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