Senior BNP leader Barrister Rafiqul Islam Mia has secured a six-month bail from the High Court, after challenging his three-year imprisonment sentence from a lower courtin a graft case.
The bench of Justice Md Shawkat Hossain granted him bail on Mondayafter hearing the appeal filed by Rafiqul.
The court also stayed the Tk50,000 fine slapped on him by the trial court.
Earlier in the day, BNP Standing Committee Member Rafiqul’slawyer Ragib Rouf Chowdhury had filed the appeal, seeking his acquittal and bail, and a stay on the lower court’s order.
Following the High Court order, Ragib told reporters that there was no legal bar for Rafiqul to get released from jail.
On November 20, a Dhaka court had convicted Rafiqulin absentia and sentenced him to three-years in jail in the case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission around 14 years ago for not filing his asset details.
Hours later that day, the Detective Branch of police had arrested him from his Eskaton home in the capital to produce him before the court next day, which sent him to jail.
On Sunday, however, Rafiqul was shifted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital from jail after he fell ill.
In April 2004, the ACC had served him with a notice to file his wealth statement. In September that year, the case was lodged with police and charges were pressed against him in November.
The trial started in November last year after the court indicted him.