SC acquits Manju of graft charges

The Supreme Court yesterday upheld a High Court verdict that acquitted Environment and Forests Minister Anwar Hossain Manju of charges in a corruption case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission on July 25, 2007.

A Special Judge's Court on June 10, 2008 sentenced Manju, also chairman of Jatiya Party (JP-Manju), to seven years of imprisonment in the case filed on charge of taking Tk 75 lakh from a Chinese construction company in 2000 when he was the communications minister.

Following an appeal filed by Manju, the HC on August 23, 2010 overturned the trial court judgment and acquitted him of the charges.

Yesterday, a four-member bench of the Appellate Division, headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, dismissed a leave-to-appeal petition filed by the ACC challenging the HC judgment, Manju's lawyer Ahsanul Karim told The Daily Star.

ACC's lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan told The Daily Star that the apex court dismissed his client's appeal, as it was filed 1,225 days after the HC delivered  the verdict.

Under the relevant SC rules, a leave-to-appeal petition has to be filed in 30 days after the HC passes the verdict, he added.

Khurshid Alam also said he will advise the ACC to move a petition before the SC, seeking review of its yesterday's dismissal order.