The Anti-Corruption Commission’s appeal challenging the bail granted to bdnews24.com Editor-in Chief Toufique Imrose Khalidi by the High Court will be heard by the Appellate Division on September 21.
Supreme Court’s chamber judge Justice Md Nuruzzaman scheduled the hearing with the full bench on Thursday after a virtual hearing of the graft watchdog’s leave-to- appeal petition.
Advocate Khrushid Alam Khan represented the ACC while Abdul Matin Khasru and AM Aminuddin argued for Khalidi.
On August 26, the High Court granted an eight-week anticipatory bail to Khalidi in the case, which accuses him of acquiring wealth beyond his known sources of income.
Also Read - ACC prosecutes bdnews24.com Editor Toufique Imrose Khalidi over illegal wealth
The ACC moved the Supreme Court’s chamber judge with a leave-to-appeal petition the next day.
The graft watchdog filed the case on July 30, where it said that the online newspaper’s editor had deposited Tk42 crore into accounts with HSBC Bank, Eastern Bank, Southeast Bank, and Mutual Trust Bank.
According to the case document, investigations found that he has accumulated the wealth through fraud by creating forged documents.
On November 5, 2019, Khalidi was served with a summons to appear before the ACC over an investigation into ‘inconsistencies’ over his wealth.
The notice said that his statement was required in connection with allegations of “transferring a huge amount of money” by “hiding location” by himself and bdnews24.com, and “earning wealth inconsistent with his known income through illegal activities”.
On November 26, ACC investigators quizzed Khalidi for nearly five hours at its Dhaka headquarters.
The bdnews24.com editor, however, has denied the allegations.
In a statement, soon after the ACC summoned him, Khalidi said, “I was never involved in any irregularity, corruption or illegal activity. I don’t possess any wealth that is inconsistent with my disclosed income.”
