SC orders HC to rehear Huda, Mufti Shahidul's graft charges

The Supreme Court yesterday scrapped the High Court verdicts that had acquitted former BNP minister Nazmul Huda and former Islami Oikya Jote lawmaker Mufti Shahidul Islam in two corruption cases.

The apex court also asked the HC to rehear their appeals on which it (HC) had acquitted them from the charges.

A four-member bench of the Appellate Division, headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, passed the orders after hearing two appeals filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission and the government challenging the HC verdicts.

A Dhaka court on April 3, 2008 sentenced Huda to 12 years imprisonment for illegally amassing wealth worth Tk 7.62 crore and concealing information about his property worth Tk 2.19 crore in his wealth statement.

The same court on March 19, 2008 sentenced Shahidul to 10 years imprisonment for amassing wealth worth over Tk 18 lakh illegally.

Following two appeals, the HC later in its verdicts acquitted Huda and IOJ leader Shahidul from the corruption charges.

ACC's lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan told The Daily Star that the HC will rehear the appeals of Huda and Shahidul to examine the lower court verdicts.

Earlier, the SC scrapped acquittals of 18 corruption suspects and sent their appeals to the HC for rehearing, he said.

The 18 include Relief and Disaster Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, former BNP state ministers Iqbal Hasan Mahmood Tuku and Mir Mohammad Nasiruddin and his son Mir Helal Uddin, independent lawmaker Haji Mohammad Selim and BNP leader Amanullah Aman.