The High Court has issued a rule asking why one of the members of the university's board of trustees, Benazir Ahmed, should not be granted bail in the case of embezzlement of Tk303.83 crore for the purchase of land for the North South University (NSU) campus.
The court has fixed the date of hearing on the rule on August 25.
Upon hearing his bail application on Wednesday, a High Court bench consisting of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Khizir Hayat issued the rule.
Advocate Sayed Ahmed Raza and Advocate Shah Monjurul Hoque appeared for the bail petitioners.
Advocate Khurshid Alam Khan appeared for the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) while Deputy Attorney General AKM Amin Uddin Manik represented the state.
Earlier on August 2, the court issued a ruling asking why two members of the university's board of trustees, MA Kashem and Rehana Rahman, should not be granted bail in the case related to the same complaint.
The defendants in the case have been asked to respond to the ruling within the next two weeks.
Then on Monday another member of the board, Mohammad Shahjahan, was ruled with regard to bail, with the hearing fixed for August 23.
After the hearing of the bail application, Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Khizir Hayat issued the ruling.
On May 22, the HC ordered Shahbagh police to arrest four NSU trustees after rejecting their anticipatory bail pleas in the case.
The other accused trustees are Benazir Ahmed and Muhammad Shahjahan.
On May 5, the ACC sued the chairman of the board of trustees of North South University Azim Uddin Ahmed and five others, including four members of the board, MA Kashem, Benazir Ahmed, Rehana Rahman and Mohammad Shahjahan on charges of embezzling Tk303.82 crore in the name of buying land for the campus.
Another accused is the managing director of Ashalaya Housing and Developers Limited Amin Mohammad Hilali.
ACC’s Deputy Director Farid Ahmed Patwar filed the case.
According to the Private University Act, 2010, the Board of Trustees is the highest governing body of a private university such as North South University. According to the Memorandum of Association and Articles (Rules and Regulations) of the university, the university is a charitable, welfare-oriented, non-commercial and non-profit educational institution, said the case statement.
The case states that over 9,088 decimals of land were bought in the name of campus development of the NSU with the consent of some members of the Board of Trustees, bypassing the approval of the University Syndicate, University Grants Commission and the Ministry of Education.
They later withdrew cash from the buyer through cash cheques in their own names and kept FDR in their own names.
They unjustly benefited themselves by committing illegal activities through misuse of power and embezzling university and government funds, according to the case.
In carrying out such illegal activities, they have committed a punishable offense by resorting to fraud and forgery and exchanging commissions.
