Two directors of garment factories housed in the ill-fated Rana Plaza building in Savar have secured permanent bail from a labour court in Dhaka for two cases filed in connection to the Apr 24 collapse, which left 1,130 dead and thousands injured.
The directors of Phantom Tac and Phantom Apparels, ABM Siddique and Suraiya Begum, were granted permanent bail by the capital’s First Labour Court's District and Session judge Miah Md Sharif Hossain on May 21.
The bails were allowed in consideration of such factors as: their elderly age, that one was female, that both held executive posts in the company and that the highest punishment for the offences was only three-month jail terms and fines of Tk3,000 each.
Two days prior, the same court granted them interim bail, plead for by their defense lawyer Md Liakat Ali on the grounds of old age.
The cases were filed for violating labour court laws, including not providing proper notification about the incident to the relevant department and court, and for that state of their establishment, including building and machines, which caused the death and injury of their workers.
The other two accused in these cases are Phantom Apparels Group Chairman Md Aminul Islam and Director David Mayor Rako. Aminul is in prison for another related case and David has absconded.
