The Anti-Corruption Commission has filed a petition with the High Court requesting it to hear the pending appeals filed by minister Maya and five others in separate graft cases.
The six accused are: Relief and Disaster Management Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, former BNP minister Nazmul Huda and his wife Sigma Huda, former BNP state ministers Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku and Amanullah Aman, and Engineer Monjurul Ahsan Munshi.
ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan, who filed the prayer, said yesterday that the HC bench of Justice Bhabani Prasad Singha and Justice SM Mozibor Rahman has accepted the appeals.
The prayer was made as the Supreme Court had earlier sent appeals to the HC for re-hearing, he said. The HC bench will fix a date later.
The accused were convicted and sentenced to various jail terms during the military-backed caretaker government’s tenure in ACC graft cases. They filed appeals and the HC later acquitted them of the charges.
On June 14, the Appellate Division canceled the High Court’s acquittal of ruling party lawmaker Maya from a 13-year jail sentence. On the same day, the Appellate Division sent the appeal of Maya to the High Court for further hearing and disposal.
On June 13 in 2007, the ACC filed the case against Maya with Sutrapur police station, charging him of amassing illegal wealth worth Tk29 lakh and concealing information.
A special court sentenced Maya to 13 years’ imprisonment on February 14, 2008, fined him Tk5 crore and ordered confiscation of about Tk6 crore of his ill-gotten wealth.
Maya filed an appeal with the HC challenging the special court’s verdict on May 25, 2009.
