Mizanur Rahman. Photo: Collected

A Dhaka court yesterday sent suspended deputy inspector general of police Mizanur Rahman to jail after rejecting his bail prayer in a graft case.

Judge KM Emrul Kayesh of the Senior Special Judge’s Court passed the order after Deputy Director of the Anti-Corruption Commission Monjur Morshed, also investigation officer of the case, produced Mizan before the court.

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Earlier, Mizan was taken to the court premises amid tight security. He was produced before the court around 10:45am. Both the prosecution and the defence took part in the hearing of the case filed against him for amassing over Tk 3 crore beyond his known sources of income.

At the start of the hearing, defence lawyer Ehsanul Haque Samaji questioned the legality of the special judge’s jurisdiction to hear the bail petition.

But Anti-Corruption Commission Public Prosecutor Mosharraf Hossain Kajol explained that on June 24 the government issued a gazette notification empowering the special judge to hear all the issues, including remand and bail petition ones.

Later, Samaji argued on the bail petition saying that his client had earlier submitted his written wealth statement to the ACC where he narrated all the matters.        

But the statement was not available in the judicial file. His client earned reputation nationally and internationally after he joined the police force.

Mizan also played an important role in preventing militancy. The charges brought against his client were not believable. So, he should be granted bail considering his social status, the lawyer added.

Opposing the defence pleas, Kajol said the ACC firstly enquired into the allegations brought against Mizan and found authentication of his involvement in acquiring wealth illegally. Since his joining in the police force in 1991, he could earn over Tk 1 crore. But the enquiry team found that he had earned over Tk 3 crore through illegal means.

With his illegal money, Mizan bought flats, plots and shops for his wife, brother and relatives in different parts of the capital and outskirts of the capital, he said.

Moreover, the High Court rejected his bail and ordered police to arrest him when he appeared before it for bail in the case. So, the charges brought against him are non-bailable and he appealed to the court to send Mizan to jail, said Kajol.

After hearing both the sides, the judge rejected the bail petition and ordered police to send him to Dhaka Keraniganj Central Jail.    

On Monday, the HC handed Mizan to the police after he appeared before it and sought bail in the graft case and also asked the Dhaka Metropolitan Police to produce him before the court within 24 hours.

Later, the top-ranking police officer was taken to Shahbagh Police Station.

On June 24, the ACC filed the case with its Integrated District Office in Dhaka against Mizan, his wife Sohelia Anar Ratna and nephew Mahmudul Hasan, a sub-inspector of police, on charges of amassing over Tk 3 crore beyond known sources of income.

The HC bench on Monday also summarily rejected another anticipatory bail petition of the suspended DIG’s nephew (sister’s son) Mahmudul in connection with the same case and directed him to surrender before the trial court within 72 hours.