Ershad’s appeal verdict in graft case on March 23

The High Court will deliver its verdict on March 23 on an appeal filed by former army chief-turned-president HM Ershad challenging three-year jail term sentenced to him by a lower court in a graft case. The bench of Justice Md Ruhul Quddus set the date after concluding hearing arguments from state and defence counsels on Thursday. The case was filed in January 1991 with Cantonment police station in Dhaka accusing Ershad of embezzling Tk1.91 crore abusing power while in office. Now a special envoy to the prime minister, Ershad was given the jail term the following year. Later, he moved the High Court challenging the verdict, leading to a stay order on the conviction the same year. The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) became a party of the case in 2012. Two years later, the appeal hearing started at the High Court but the matter was stalled. The hearing resumed again after the ACC filed a plea seeking its revival on November 30 last year.