Trackback URL
Download PDF The High Court (HC) yesterday granted bail to former prime minister and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina in a Tk 3 crore graft case filed against her and six prominent personalities by the Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) on September 2.
A HC bench comprising Justice Shah Abu Nayeem Mominur Rahman and Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury also stayed the proceedings of the case.
The court issued a rule on the government and ACC asking them to explain within eight weeks why bringing the case under the ambit of Emergency Power Rules (EPR) should not be declared illegal.
The HC order came following a writ petition filed by Sheikh Hasina on October 28 challenging the legality of bringing the graft case under the EPR. The AL president however remains in jail.
Barrister Rafique-ul Huq represented Hasina as her chief counsel, assisted by Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh.
Fazle Noor told The Daily Star that although the court granted Hasina bail and stayed the proceedings of the case, it also said the ACC will continue their investigation of the case.
ACC Deputy Director MM Sabbir Hasan filed the case with Tejgaon police station on September 2 alleging that Hasina, in collusion with the other six accused in the case, helped a foreign company and its local partners win a contract for setting up a barge-mount 100MW power plant in Khulna in exchange for a kickback of Tk 3 crore, during the regime of Hasina-led Awami League government between 1996 and 2001.
The other accused are former energy secretary Toufiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, former Power Development Board (PDB) chairman Noor Uddin Mahmud Kamal, Managing Director of Summit Industries and Mercantile Corporation Private Ltd Aziz Khan, its Director Farid Khan, United Group Chairman Hasan Mahmud Raja, and its Director Abul Kalam Azad.
A foreign company Wartsila Power Development Ltd Consortium and its local partners Summit Group and United Group allegedly bribed the former prime minister and the other accused in the case in exchange for the controversial deal.
According to the case statement, Hasina received the kickbacks from the three companies between October 7 and November 24 in 1997.
The case is the fifth in a series of cases filed against the AL chief, now detained in a sub-jail on the premises of the national parliament building.
She was arrested on July 16 in connection with a Tk 3 crore extortion case filed by Azam J Chowdhury, managing director of Eastcoast Private Trading Ltd, also a power company.
Comments are not moderated and only expresses personal views of visitors. BangladeshNews.com.bd is not responsible for commets posted by visitors.
Leave a Reply