The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Dhaka

The High Court Thursday granted anticipatory bail for three months to Justice Fazlul Huq, a former adviser of the Iajuddin-led caretaker government, on surrender Thursday following arrest warrant against him in an ill-gotten wealth case.

The vacation bench of the HC comprising Justice AFM Abdur Rahman and Justice SM Emdadul Huq passed the order following a petition filed by the accused former Supreme Court judge a day after the trial court issued the arrest warrant against him. The HC bench also asked the petitioner to surrender to the trial court within the timeframe for regularizing the bail.

Considering accused Justice Fazlul Huq's 'high image' in society, the bench granted him anticipatory bail, court sources said.

Earlier in the day, another Division Bench comprising Justice Zinat Ara and Justice Syed M Ziaul Karim turned a deaf ear to his petition seeking anticipatory bail.

Later, ex-deputy attorney general Helal Uddin Mollah, a counsel for the accused, rushed to the Chief Justice for remedy.

The Chief Justice sent the petition for hearing at another Division Bench after officially receiving the order of embarrassment from the earlier bench.

After securing interim bail, Justice Fazlul Huq told reporters that he had been implicated in the graft case for "harassing" him.

On April 13, Justice Fazlul Haque was sued by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) for illegally amassing money and concealing information about his wealth.

ACC assistant director Mohammad Ibrahim filed first information report (FIR) with Ramna police station against him on charge of acquiring wealth beyond known sources of income and concealment of information about wealth worth over Tk 97 lakh.

It has been alleged in the FIR that the assets Justice Fazlul did not mention in his wealth statement were earned by him illegally when he was Adviser of the previous caretaker government.

The FIR states that when he took over as Adviser, his neat asset was worth about Tk 67.83 lakh. But, after becoming Adviser, his neat assets amounted to about Tk 1.14 crore and 1.24 crore respectively in 2006-07 and 2007-08 tax years.

According to the FIR, the difference has been created through "illegal earning" when he was the Adviser of the caretaker government.

It has been accused that he piled up huge ill-gotten money beyond known sources of income between October 2006 and January 2007. With a big chunk of the illegally earned money he made bank deposits through his son Dr Afjal Hossain Raj, daughter's husband Tariqur Rahman Prince, son's friend Abdul Malek, Sujaul Hasan Sujon and Ataul Haq. Also bought with the ill-gotten money were cars and flats besides investment in the Justice Fazlul Huq Foundation.

The former Supreme Court judge, who stood in as head of the caretaker government for a short while after President Iajuddin had stood down, transacted about Tk 13 crore in different banks in the names of the above-mentioned persons during his days in state power.

Furthermore, it has been learnt that the former Adviser siphoned off more money through his daughter and son-in-law, who reside in London.

The case was filed under sections 26(2) and 27(1) of the Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2004, section 5(2) of the Corruption Prevention Act 1947 and section 15 of the Emergency Power Rules 2007.

Justice Fazlul is one of the 35 corruption suspects whose names appeared on the fourth and final list published by the ACC on October 4, 2007 under the ongoing purge against corruption in high places.