Ex-minister's wife, daughters get bail in money laundering cases

The High Court (HC) today granted anticipatory bail to former minister Nazmul Huda’s wife Sigma Huda and their two daughters for eight weeks in two separate money laundering cases involving Tk 6.73 crore.

The HC also ordered Sigma, her daughters Antara Selima Huda and Srabanti Amina Huda to surrender before the trial court concerned in eight weeks in connection with the cases filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

The bench of Justice Obaidul Hassan and Justice AKM Zahirul Huq came up with the orders after hearing two separate petitions filed by the three seeking bail in the cases.

Earlier in the day, the petitioners appeared before the HC bench for bail.

The court passed the order considering that they are female, ACC’s lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan told The Daily Star.

He added the ACC will move appeals before the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court challenging the HC orders. 

The ACC filed two separate cases with its integrated district office in Dhaka on January 9 against Sigma, Antara and Srabanti for allegedly laundering about Tk 6.73 crore in abroad.

Selima and Srabanti laundered about Tk 2.67 crore to the UK. They bought a flat in Denham Road of UK on December 12, 2006 with the money, according to a case statement.

Another case statement said that Selima and her mother Sigma laundered about Tk 4.06 crore to the UK and bought another flat at Barwood palace on June 26, 2003.

In the enquiry, the anti-graft watchdog found that they earned the money illegally and spent those to buy the flats.

Advocate Munsurul Hoque Chowdhury appeared for the accused petitioners.