A Dhaka court on Monday imposed a travel ban on former chief justice ABM Khairul Haque and eight others in connection with an Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) case over the alleged illegal acquisition of a residential plot.
Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Md Sabbir Faiz passed the order following an application filed by the ACC, court bench assistant Md Riaz Hossain said.
The other individuals barred from leaving the country are former Rajuk chairman Engineer Md Nurul Huda; Rajuk member (Finance and Estate) AIM Golam Kibria; member Md Abu Bakar Sikder; member (Planning) Md Anwarul Islam Sikder; member (Estate) Akhtar Hossain Bhuiyan; former joint secretary and Rajuk member (Development) M Mahbubul Alam; and member (Administration and Land) Nazmul Hai.
Earlier in the day, ACC Assistant Director Afnan Jannat Keya filed an application seeking the travel ban.
According to the ACC, a case was filed on August 6 last year against Khairul Haque and eight others over allegations of obtaining a 10-katha plot by providing false information.
The case alleges that while there was no provision for waiving interest, Khairul Haque abused his power by violating the conditions of the temporary allotment letter with the direct assistance of Rajuk officials. It further claims that he failed to deposit the instalment amount with interest within the stipulated time and instead paid the amount without interest after his retirement, five years after the allotment.
The ACC alleges that by violating Rajuk’s prevailing policies and availing special benefits, he caused a loss of Tk474,240 to the government, amounting to misappropriation.