A writ petition was filed yesterday requesting the High Court to issue a ruling for an explanation regarding the legitimacy of Relief and Disaster Management Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya’s position as a lawmaker and minister in the Jatiya Sangsad.
Supreme Court lawyer Yunus Ali Akhand filed the petition yesterday morning, in which asked the court’s directive to restrain Maya from performing his duties as a minister until the court’s decision.
The speaker, the chief election commissioner and Maya were made respondents to the petition, Yunus told reporters.
“The court may hear the petition tomorrow [today].”
According to the petition, Maya is not eligible to hold position of a minister as well as a member of parliament, as per the constitution, because he is convicted in a corruption case.
Earlier, Yunus sent a legal notice to Maya on June 30 asking him to explain, within 24 hours, on what grounds he was still holding the offices after the Supreme Court had overturned his acquittal in a graft case.
On June 14, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court cancelled Maya’s acquittal from a 13-year jail sentence in a corruption case ordered by the High Court.
The case was filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on June 13, 2007 with Sutrapur police station, accusing Maya of amassing illegal wealth worth Tk29 lakh and concealing information about it. Maya was sentenced to prison for 13 years in the case by a special court on February 14, 2008.
He challenged the verdict at the High Court on May 25, 2009, and after hearing the appeal, a High Court bench acquitted him from the charges and the verdict.
