Some vested group plotting against me

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The High Court (HC) yesterday granted three months’ anticipatory bail to former caretaker government adviser Justice Fazlul Huq in a graft case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

The embattled former judge, charged with amassing wealth through illegal means and concealing assets information from the ACC, has been asked to submit bail bonds to the trial court within the period.

A bench comprising Justice AFM Abdur Rahman and Justice SM Emdadul Hoque ruled for bail, considering Huq’s age (70) and the positions he had held over the years.

On September 2, ACC Assistant Director Mohammad Ibrahim, also investigation officer (IO), submitted charge sheet to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court in Dhaka. He showed 38 people as prosecution witnesses.

The following day, the Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court issued an arrest warrant.

Earlier yesterday, the HC bench of Justice Zinat Ara and Justice Syed Mohammad Ziaul Karim refused to entertain Justice Huq’s bail petitions.

It said it was not set to hear the motion (new) petitions filed the same day. Besides, it would not hear bail petition in a case where charges have already been pressed.

After the futile first attempt, Fazlul Huq and his lawyers rushed to the chief justice and pleaded for another bench to hear the bail prayer.

Talking to reporters on the court premises, Justice Huq said he had always paid taxes, and never committed any offence.

“The High Court orders prove that the case has been filed to harass me. The charge sheet was submitted a long time after filing of the case. Some vested interest groups have been plotting against me. I hope I’ll be able to see off the conspiracy through legal means,” he said.

Asked about the allegations that he had given Tk 24 lakh to three tricksters to have him cleared of corruption charges, he said those are “false, baseless and fabricated”.

He added, “Some quarters are out to malign me. I was a judge of the Appellate Division. I have never seen such harassment of an apex court judge in my life.

“I surely would have resigned my position had such allegations been levelled against me during my service.”

Huq’s counsel Helaluddin Mollah said the HC order for bail is a victory of the rule of law.

“In our submissions, we said the petitioner was a judge of the apex court and an adviser to the caretaker government headed by President Iajuddin Ahmed. Above all, he is an aged person, and this case has been filed to harass him. Satisfied with our arguments, the court granted our client bail,” he said.

Replying to a query, Mollah said they would decide later whether to seek a stay on the case proceedings.

On September 2, Huq sought to file a bail petition with the HC, but failed as the bench concerned did not sit.

He submitted wealth statement to the ACC on November 26 last year. The anti-graft body filed the case against him on April 13 this year. The charges include making wealth worth Tk 89.81 lakh beyond known sources of income and keeping back assets information.

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