The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

A High Court bench yesterday granted interim bail to former BNP secretary general Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, BNP standing committee member M Shamsul Islam, Awami League leader Engr Mosharraf Hossain, former BNP lawmaker Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu and late BNP veteran leader Akbar Hossain's son Ismail Hossain Simon for two months in graft cases.

A two-member High Court Bench comprising Justice Sharifuddin Chakladar and Justice Md Imdadul Haque gave the bail order for Mannan Bhuiyan, Shamsul Islam and Simon considering their separate petitions in GATCO graft case.

Two other accused in the GATCO case, Jamaat Ameer Maulana Motiur Rahman Nizami, and BNP leader MK Anwar have already got bail in the case.

The court also ordered that the case proceedings against them be halted for the same period. The court at the same time ruled the government to explain why the case should not be scrapped and permanent bail would not be granted.

The same High Court bench granted two months' bail to Awami League leader and former minister engineer Mosharraf Hossain in two other graft cases filed on charges of acquiring illegal assets and plot allotment anomalies. A total 24 people were made accused in the case.

After the High Court ruling, Barrister Rafiqul Haque, the counsel of Mannan Bhuiyan and Shamsul Islam told reporters that the GATCO case was filed entirely with political motive.

He pointed out that though it was alleged that government incurred more than Tk 1,000 crore in losses because of the GATCO deal, but in the charge sheet the amount was shown only 14 crore.

Barrister Fahimul Haque, another counsel, said their clients might as well be freed, as there were no other cases against them.

Anisul Huq, a special counsel

for the ACC, said that he would appeal against the High Court orders.On May 18, the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court for Dhaka ordered the two former ministers,

Mannan Bhuiyan and MK Anwar, to jail after they had surrendered before the court.

Joint forces arrested former prime minister Khaleda Zia and her younger son Arafat Rahman Koko, who is currently on bail for treatment abroad, in relation with the GATCO case.

The ACC filed the case on September 2 last year with Tejgaon Police Station against 13 people alleging that GATCO contract to run the container depot at Chittagong Port was illegal.

The case was brought under the emergency powers rules on September 17.

The case record shows that a tender was floated in 2003 to appoint a contractor for the container depots at Chittagong Port and Kamalapur railway station. The accused allegedly awarded the tender to GATCO although the company failed to meet all the tender conditions.