Why should his punishment not be enhanced: HC

The High Court yesterday issued a rule asking the state to explain why the punishment of former mayor of Gazipur City Corporation MA Mannan should not be enhanced from one year's imprisonment in a corruption case.

A Dhaka court on November 18 last year sentenced Mannan to one year's imprisonment in a case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission for embezzling Tk 50 lakh through fake vouchers.

At the same time, the trial court fined him Tk 50 lakh and ruled that he will be sentenced to three more months in jail, defaulting to pay the fine.  

Yesterday, the HC bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Mohi Uddin Shamim came up with the rule following a petition filed by ACC seeking enhancement of Mannan's jail sentence.

In the petition, ACC said there is a specific allegation against Mannan of embezzling state money, but the trial court has sentenced him to only one-year in jail and fined him Tk 50 lakh, which is not sufficient.

The HC bench fixed April 11 for hearing the rule.

Lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan appeared for ACC while Deputy Attorney General AKM Amin Uddin Manik represented the state.

DAG Manik said Mannan has been granted bail by a lower court in the case.

ACC on June 23, 2016 filed the case with Joydebpur Police Station against Mannan and his accomplice.

According to the case statement, while MA Mannan was the mayor of Gazipur city (August 18, 2013 to February 2, 2015), he misappropriated Tk 49,01,848 from the relief fund using fake vouchers.