New HC bench to deal with bail of 2 AB Bank officers

Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain has recently constituted a larger High Court bench for disposing a suomoto rule that questioned the bail granted to two former high officials of AB Bank in a money laundering case involving Tk 165 crore.

The bench of Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury, Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Ashraful Kamal will start hearing on the rule tomorrow.

A Dhaka court on January 25 this year granted bail to M Wahidul Haque, former chairman of AB Bank, and Abu Hena Mustafa Kamal, the bank’s former head of financial institutions and treasury, within few hours after they were produced before it in connection with the case.

On January 31, a two-judge HC bench led by Justice Enayetur Rahim issued the suomoto rule asking the government, Anti-Corruption Commission, Wahidul and Abu Hena to explain the bail granted by the lower court to Wahidul and Abu Hena in the case should not be cancelled.

The bench also issued a travel ban on Wahiduland Abu Hena.

The ACC on January 25 arrested Wahidul, Abu Hena and businessman Saiful Haque -- three of the eight accused -- in connection with the case.

After they were produced before a Dhaka court, it granted bail to Wahidul and Mostafa, but sent Saiful on a three-day remand.

The other accused in the case are M Fazlur Rahman and Shamim Ahmed Chaudhury, ex-managing directors of AB Bank; Mohammad Lokman, the bank’s head of offshore banking unit; Mohammad Mahuz Ul Islam, its vice president of corporate treasury department; and Nurul Azim, its senior vice president.