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12 bigwigs asked to surrender to trial courts
[Bangla Daily Star] The High Court (HC) yesterday directed 12 persons, sentenced in absentia in separate criminal cases, to surrender before the trial courts concerned within two weeks.A special 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). Those who will have to surrender before the trial courts are Jatiya Party (Manju) Chairman Anwar Hossain Manju, 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. Lawyers concerned told newsmen that the convicts would have to surrender before the trial courts within two weeks after receiving the HC judgment. They said convicts, following the HC order, must be put in jail or surrender before the trial courts since those courts have no jurisdiction to grant them bail at this stage. Additional Attorney General M Enayetur Rahim yesterday told the newsmen that the special HC bench yesterday delivered the verdict in line with a Supreme Court order that on April 23 this year directed former state minister Shahjahan Omar to surrender before the trial court within two weeks in connection with a corruption case. Shahjahan Omar's case will stand as a pointer for about 70 others, mainly politicians and businessmen, who were handed down sentences for corruption after the 1/11 changeover. ACC's panel lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan yesterday told The Daily Star the ACC would file appeals with the SC against the HC orders for granting bails to other convicts sentenced in absentia but did not surrender to the trial courts and are not in jail. He earlier said that more than 100 people were convicted in the corruption cases and about 70 of them were tried in absentia. But most of the 70 convicts did not surrender to the trial courts. Posted by: Fred 2009-05-04 |
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