A trial court in Barisal yesterday sent an Awami League leader to jail after he surrendered before the court to extend the ad-interim bail granted by the High Court previously.
Mahbubur Rahman, Jhalakati town Awami League secretary and former president of Jhalakathi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, was an accused in a wheat black marketing case.
The court also ordered to send Md Shahjahan, a Barisal-based businessman and a co-accused in the case, to jail on the same grounds.
Court sources said 3,200 sacks of wheat with government food department seals on sacks were recovered by Bangladesh Coast Guard last year from the Kirtankhola River of Barisal.
Wheat-businessman Shahjahan then claimed that he had collected that wheat from Mahbub, who was also a flower mill owner.
Mahbub, on the other hand, had claimed that he imported that wheat from India and then sold to Shahjahan.
Bangladesh Coast Guard on June 13 last year lodged a case with Barisal Kotwali police station against Mahbub and Shahjahan for selling government procured wheat in black market.
Police submitted the final report of the case on September 2013.
However, the court rejected the final report and ordered fair investigation. Both the accused were granted a two-month ad-interim bail from the High Court on November 2013.
On the last day of the granted ad-interim bail, yesterday, both the accused surrendered before the court and prayed for permanent bail.
However Habibur Rahman, district and session judge of Barisal, rejected the bail prayers and ordered to send both the accused to jail, Advocate Giasuddin Kabul, Barisal district public prosecutor, said.