Manju, Shahjahan Omar sent jail on surrender

A Dhaka court yesterday sent Jatiya Party (JP-Manju) chairman and former communications minister Anwar Hossain Manju and former state minister for law and BNP leader Barrister Shahjahan Omar to jail when they surrendered before the trial court in connection with separate graft cases.
Both Manju and Omar, who were convicted in absentia in separate cases and sentenced to different jail term, turned to the Special Court-10 of Judge Arifur Rahman in the morning as per the direction of the Supreme Court (SC). The court sent them to jail after rejecting their bail prayers.
The court also asked the jail authorities to provide them with division and medical treatment in the jail as per jail code upon petitions of their counsels.
Manju’s lawyer sought bail for Manju in two separate cases-one for amassing illegal wealth and concealing information of those and another for taking bribe, while Omar’s lawyer sought bail in a case of acquiring illegal wealth and hiding information.
The lawyers of both the politicians sought division and medical treatment in the jail citing their sickness.          
Advocate Mosharraf Hossain Kajol moved on behalf of the state while Barrister Rafiq-Ul Huq for Manju and Advocate Hossain Ali Khan Hasan for Omar. Advocate Sanaullah Mia and Advocate Masud Ahmed Talukder assisted Advocate Hasan. 
Advocate Kajol urged the court not to grant bail to Manju and Omar, as the court has no jurisdiction to grant bail. 
Counsel of Manju, Barrister Rafiq-Ul Huq told the waiting reporters on the court premises that his client (Manju) is sick and he came to the court from the hospital. “We sought division in the jail for my client and proper medical treatment as he is sick,” he said. The court accepted the petition and asked the concerned authorities to take action in this regard as per the jail code.
Advocate Hossain Ali Khan Hasan told the reporters that the case was filed against his client Barrister Omar with a malafide intention to tarnish his political and social image. The case was totally false, fabricated and baseless, he said.  
Earlier on July 26, 2007, a special court in Dhaka sentenced Manju to five years’ simple imprisonment and fined Tk 10,000 in a case for possessing 21 bottles of contraband liquor at his Dhanmondi residence.
On May 18 last year, a special court dealing with graft cases sentenced Manju to seven years’ imprisonment in a bribery case filed by the ACC.
Earlier on August 26, 2008, a Dhaka court sentenced Manju to 13 years’ rigorous imprisonment in connection with a case for amassing wealth illegally and concealing information in his wealth statement submitted to the anti-graft watchdog. In another case he was given seven years’ imprisonment and fined Tk 75 lakh.
The HC on Sunday last directed 12 persons including Manju, who were convicted and sentenced in absentia in separate cases, to surrender before the trial courts concerned within two weeks.
Earlier on May 15 last year, a special court dealing with graft cases jailed Omar to 13 years for amassing wealth illegally and concealing information in his wealth statement submitted to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
A special High Court (HC) bench of Justice Md Imman Ali passed the order while disposing of 16 bail petitions filed by 12 convicts sentenced in 16 criminal cases, most of which were filed by the Anti-corruption Commission (ACC).
The 11 others who will have to surrender before the trial courts are: former state minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, former BNP lawmaker Nadim Mostafa, former AL lawmakers Haji Mohammad Selim, Mokbul Hossain, former BNP minister Saifur Rahman’s son Shafiur Rahman Babu, Awami League leaders Md Mohiuddin, and Abu Hanif Patwari, Babul Chowdhury, Masudur Rahman, Sabina Suraya and Mafruza Sultana.
Earlier on February 23, a HC division bench delivered split orders on the petitions.
The special HC bench delivered the verdict in line with a Supreme Court order that on April 23 directed former state minister Shahjahan Omar to surrender before the trial court within two weeks in connection with a corruption case.

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