Bangladesh News

The High Court (HC) yesterday granted ad interim bail to ailing former home minister Mohammad Nasim and controversial businessman Giasuddin Al Mamun in separate cases.

An HC bench of Justice Md Muzammel Hossain and Justice Syed AB Mahmudul Huq granted Nasim ad interim bail for four months in a graft case following a petition filed by Nasim.

The Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) filed the case against Awami League (AL) leader Nasim for accumulating wealth illegally and concealing wealth information from the commission.

Nasim’s counsel advocate M Enayetur Rahim told The Daily Star that the HC granted him bail on medical grounds.

He also said the HC order cleared the way for release of Nasim, who has been undergoing treatment at the LabAid Specialised Hospital in the capital after suffering brain haemorrhage.

The joint forces arrested Nasim at midnight on February 4 last year.

ACC Deputy Director Akhter Hossain filed a case against Nasim and his wife with Dhanmondi Police Station on March 21 last year for amassing wealth worth Tk 1.26 crore illegally.

The Special Judge’s Court-1 on October 8 last year sentenced Nasim to 13 years’ imprisonment in the graft case. Nasim filed an appeal with the HC in May this year against his conviction. Later, he filed the bail petition on July 28.

The HC on July 30 directed the inspector general (IG) of prisons and LabAid Hospital authorities to submit Nasim’s medical reports to the court by August 5 for examining those.

EXTORTION CASES AGAINST MAMUN
The HC bench of Justice Sharif Uddin Chaklader and Justice Md Emdadul Haque Azad granted ad interim bail for six months to Mamun in four separate extortion cases.

Following the filing of separate petitions by Mamun, the court also stayed the proceedings of the cases against him for six months and issued separate rules upon the government to explain within four weeks why the proceedings against the petitioner should not be quashed.

Mamun’s counsel barrister Fakhrul Islam said Mamun was granted bail in four extortion cases. Of those, three were filed with Gulshan Police Station while the other with Dhanmondi Police Station.

He also said all the four cases were filed during the crackdown on high-profile corruption suspects last year on charges of extorting money from four construction businessmen.