Dhaka-7 lawmaker Haji Salim, convicted in a corruption case, was released from prison on parole on Friday so that he could attend his elder brother’s burial.
Haji Kayes, 72, died at his home in Dhaka’s SHyamoli in the morning, and Salim applied for parole soon after.
Mohiuddin Ahmed, the independent lawmaker’s personal secretary, said that Kayes had died of old-age complications. He was buried at Azimpur graveyard.
The Home Ministry granted the parole to Haji Salim for five and a half hours from 4pm.
A Dhaka court on May 22 rejected Salim’s bail petition and sent him to jail.
He was admitted to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) in Dhaka, after spending just one night in jail, on May 23.
Before that, his sudden travel to Thailand for treatment on May 2, at a time when he was supposed to surrender in court, created a huge outcry in the political arena. He returned home on May 5.
Haji Salim holds a position in the Awami League but contested the last elections as an independent candidate.
On February 10, the full text of the High Court’s order was published upholding his 10-year imprisonment.
The court had earlier asked him to surrender before the trial court within 30 days of getting the order and also directed the trial court to cancel the bail order of the MP and issue an arrest warrant against him "if he does not surrender within the given time".
Following his travel, BNP leaders slammed the government for allowing Haji Salim, while barring convicted BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia from going abroad for advanced treatment.
