The New Nation - Internet Edition

High Court yesterday granted anticipatory bails to many high profile accused including former Prime Minister and Awami League Chief Sheikh Hasina’s private secretary RAM Obaidul Muktadir Chowdhury and a suspected drug lord Amin Huda.

But Supreme Court stayed till August 7 the operation of High Court order that had granted bail to detained former BNP lawmaker Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu who is now detained in connection with various charges including corruption , murder and possessing illegal arms.

Passing the brief stay order upon an application moved by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), Chamber Court of Justice MA Matin fixed August 7 for hearing the matter in a regular bench of the Appellate Division.

The ACC moved the application as it prefers leave to appeal against the July 16 High Court order that granted Pintu a month’s bail and issued rule upon the ACC to explain why the graft case against him should not be quashed.

Pintu, who faces a number of criminal cases including murder and extortion, secured bail from the High Court on Monday (July 28) in connection with the case relating to misappropriation of CI sheets allocated for relief operation.

ACC’s special counsel Anisul Huq moved the application.

Granting the interim bail to Muktadir Chowdhury , a Division Bench comprising Justice Sharif Uddin Chaklader and Justice M Emdadul Haque Azad stayed the case proceedings and issued a rule upon the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to explain why the case should not quashed.

The HC orders came upon a petition filed by him.

Following the HC orders, the trial proceedings at a special court set up at parliament building complex now stands stalled half way through, court sources said.

On November 4 last year, ACC assistant director Nasiruddin Ahmed filed the case against Muktadir and his wife Prof Fahima Khatun with Gulshan police station for accumulating Tk 1.16 crore illegally and concealing Tk 25 lakh in their wealth information to the ACC.

On May 13, ACC deputy director Shariful Haque Siddiqui submitted the charge sheet against the Muktadir couple to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court showing 24 people as prosecution witnesses.

A week after the filing of the charge sheet, Muktadir and his wife surrendered to the Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court here and sought bail. But the court sent Muktadir to jail and granted bail to his wife Fahima who is accused of aiding and abetting her husband in accumulating the ill-gotten wealth.

Earlier, on June 18, the High Court, following a petition filed by co-accused Fahima, halted the case proceedings against her for six months.

Barrister M Amir-Ul Islam assisted by Sheikh Baharul Islam appeared for Muktadir.

In the case of Amin Huda, a two-member division bench of Justice Sharif Uddin Chaklader and

Justice M Emdadul Haque Azad, meanwhile, issued a rule upon the

government to explain in four weeks why accused Amin should not be

granted regular bail.

He faces charges of illegally producing and selling contraband Yaba, a club drug that produces a euphoric effect, causing the users to have strong feelings of warmth and connection to those around them..

The HC orders came following a petition filed by Amin, now being treated at BSMMU prison cell.

Deputy Attorney General Zahirul Hoque Zahir told UNB that the Supreme Court halted a previous HC bail and that rule was still effective, but Amin came to the High Court Wednesday with a different plea.

In his plea Amin said he needs appropriate treatment abroad as the treatment he gets here is not enough for his recovery, the DAG said.

On October 25 last year, Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) arrested Amin at his Gulshan office with 130,000 Yaba tablets. According to Rab, Amin had long been running illegal drug businesses under cover of his office.

According to BD News24.com Ismail Hossain Simon, son of the late shipping minister Akbar Hossain, was freed from jail on bail in the GATCO scam case yesterday, an official with Dhaka Central Jail said.

Jailor Faruque Ahmed told bdnews24.com that Simon was released as the High Court granted him bail for two months.

The Anticorruption Commission filed the case against former prime minister Khaleda Zia, son Arafat Rahman Coco and 11 others on Sept 2 last year, on charges of awarding Global Agro Trade Company a cargo-handling deal through misuse of power.

The commission later pressed charges against 25 people, including former shipping minister Akbar Hossain.

Akbar Hossain died on June 25, 2006.

Our Court Correspondent adds, A charge sheet was submitted to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Court yesterday against the Juba League President Jahangir Kabir Nanak in a graft case filed for amassing wealth illegally and concealing facts about his wealth. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Md Golam Rabanni accepted the charge sheet.

Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Assistant Director Ashraful Islam filed the case with Ramna Thana of the city on March 25 of this year, where ACC Deputy Assistant Director Abul Kashem submitted the charge sheet Wednesday making 16 persons witness. The absconding Juba League Chairman was accused of amassing wealth worth Taka 18,27,109.25 and concealing facts about his wealth to the tune of Taka 12,02,109.25. The Investigation Officer (IO) of the case sought warrant of arrest against fugitive Nanak.

Meanwhile, the National Board of Revenue (NBR’s) case filed against former Health Minister Dr Khandaker Mosharraf was yesterday transferred to a special Court set up at the Parliament Bhaban. In the case Dr Mosharraf was accused of dodging income-tax to the tune of Taka 63,23,602 through concealing facts about his wealth in the income-tax returns he submitted to from 1996 to 2006.