The High Court has denied anticipatory bail to four trustees of North South University in a case filed by the Anti Corruption Commission over embezzling over Tk 300 crore in the name of land procurement for the campus.
On Sunday, the bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Kazi Md Ejarul Haque Akondo ordered Shahbag Police to arrest the accused and present them in front of a trial court in 24 hours.
The accused are Mohammed Shajahan, MA Kashem, Benajir Ahmed and Rehana Rahman.
Senior lawyers AF Hasan Ariff, Fida M Kamal, Ajmalul Hossain, and Mizan Sayeed appeared for the defendant, while Lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan stood for the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
Attorney General AM Amin Uddin along with Additional Attorney General Sheikh Mohammad Morshed and Deputy Attorney General AKM Amin Uddin Manik represented the state, reports UNB.
On May 5, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) sued the chairman of the board of trustees of North South University (NSU) Azim Uddin Ahmed, and five others for embezzling Tk 303.82 crore in the name of buying land for the campus.
The investigating officer of the ACC's Deputy Director Farid Ahmed Patwar filed the case.
The other accused is- Ashalaya Housing and Developers Limited Managing Director Amin Mobammad Hilali.
According to the Private University Act, 2010, the Board of Trustees is the highest governing body of a private university like 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.
The case states that over 9,088 decimal land was bought in the name of campus development of NSU with the consent of some members of the Board of Trustees bypassing the approval of the University Syndicate, University Grants Commission and the education ministry.
They later withdrew cash from the buyer through cash checks in their own names and kept the 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 documents.
In carrying out such illegal activities, they have committed a punishable offense by resorting to fraud and forgery and exchanging commissions, it added.
