Staff Correspondent
The high-profile persons accused of corruption have started returning to the country after the Awami League-led alliance government assumed office.
The accused — politicians, government employees and businessmen — and their family members left the country after the military-backed interim government led by Fakhruddin Ahmed grabbed power after January 11, 2007 and launched a ‘crusade’ against corruption. Most of the returnees were accused in corruption cases and many were convicted in absentia.
The interim government handed over power to the new government on January 6 and the absconders started returning from self-imposed exile.
Some of them, mainly associated with Awami League politics, have already surrendered to the High Court and got interim bail in the last few days.
Haji Mohammad Selim, who was a lawmaker from a constituency in Old Dhaka in the 1996 election and was later sentenced to 13 years’ rigorous imprisonment for amassing wealth beyond known sources of income, got bail from the High Court after the new government began functioning.
His wife, Gulshan Ara Begum, who was also sentenced to three years’ simple imprisonment for abetting her husband to amass illegal wealth, was also granted bail by the High Court.
Sheikh Mohammad Helaluddin, a former AL lawmaker from a Bagerhat constituency and also a cousin of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, was granted bail by a High Court bench on Monday. He was sentenced to 13 years’ imprisonment for amassing illegal wealth and seven years rigorous imprisonment for extortion.
His wife, Rupa Chowdhury, who was sentenced to three years’ simple imprisonment for abetting him to amass illegal wealth, was granted bail by the same HC bench on the same day.
Another HC bench granted bail to Kashmiri Kamal, wife of a former AL lawmaker from a Comilla constituency, and their two daughters in a case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission.
A judge of the sessions court of Dhaka granted bail to a former AL MP from a Dhaka constituency, Mokbul Hossain, on his surrender on Monday.
None of the accused politicians and their family members were accosted by law enforcers on their way to surrender to the courts to seek bail.
Former Awami League lawmaker Shamim Osman and his wife appeared in the High Court on Sunday with two writ petitions challenging two graft cases in which they were convicted.
The court, however, refused to pass any interim order to give them immediate relief and the couple left the court premises without any facing interference by law enforcers.
The couple were convicted in their absence in the cases filed by the Anti-Commission Commission and the National Board of Revenue.
Former Awami League lawmakers Maqbul Hossain, jailed for 13 years on May 6, 2008 for amassing illegal wealth, and Joynal Hazari, jailed for three years on May 13, 2007 for not submitting wealth statement to the Anti-Corruption Commission, reportedly returned from self-imposed exile and would go to the High Court soon to seek bail.
A number of Awami League leaders accused in graft cases will reportedly surrender soon in court on their return.
They include Abul Hasanat Abdullah of Barisal, also a former chief whip of parliament, jailed for nine years for tax evasion on December 12, 2007, HBM Iqbal and his wife Momtaz Begum, jailed on March 11, 2008 for amassing illegal wealth, and Munshiganj district Awami League president Mahiuddin Ahmed, jailed for 11 years on July 10, 2008 for amassing illegal wealth.
The former communication minister during the AL regime of the 1996-2001 period, Anwar Hossain Manju, who was sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment in two cases, and his wife, Tasmima Hossain, also a former lawmaker from the women’s reserved seat, who was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment, are also likely to seek bail on their return within a short time.
Courtesy: newagebd.com
