The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Dhaka

The High Court Sunday granted bail for three months to detained BNP stalwart and ex-minister Barrister Moudud Ahmed in a graft case.

Passing the interim order following a writ petition, a division bench comprising Justice Tariq ul Hakim and Justice Farah Mahbub stayed the proceedings of the case and issued a rule upon the government to explain in four weeks why the "initiation and continuation" of the case against Moudud should not declared illegal.

On August 27, Moudud Ahmed was shown arrested in a new case filed the same day on charges of withdrawing Tk 2.2 crore in FDR from a bank through forged documents.

Inspector Lutfar Rahman of Taskforce-21 filed the latest case against Moudud with Motijheel police station under sections 424, 463, 464, 468 and 471 of the Bangladesh Penal Code (BPC) and section 16(2) of the Emergency Power Rules (EPR).

According to the case statement, Moudud encashed five fixed deposit receipts (FDRs) totaling Tk 2.2 crore in February and March last year from the Motijheel branch of IFIC Bank and then deposited the money against 36 phony names in the same bank in a bid to conceal it.

Moudud was arrested from his Gulshan residence on April 13 last year with 16 bottles of foreign liquor and 32 cans of beer as well as 220 pieces of saree belonging to the government relief fund.

Barrister Mahbub Uddin Khokan appeared for Moudud.