The High Court today handed over top-ranking police officer Mizanur Rahman to the police after he appeared before it for bail in connection with a corruption case.

The court ordered the police authorities to produce him (suspended DIG Mizan) before the senior special judge’s court in Dhaka within 24 hours.

The HC bench of Justice Obaidul Hassan and Justice SM Kuddus Zaman passed the order after summarily rejecting his petition seeking anticipatory bail in the case.

During hearing, the court commented that Mizanur Rahman has completely destroyed the image of the police department as well as the country by his activities.

It has been seen on the televisions that he confessed to giving bribe to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) official, Justice Obaidul Hassan said.

At the same time, the HC bench also summarily rejected another anticipatory bail petition of suspended DIG Mizanur’s nephew (sister’s son) Mahmudul Hasan in connection with the same case and directed him (Mahmudul) to surrender to the trial court in 72 hours.

Court sources said officials from Dhaka metropolitan police took Mizanur Rahman to their custody this afternoon in line with the HC order.

Mizanur and Mahmudul appeared before the HC bench with separate bail petitions after 2pm.    

Advocate Momtaz Uddin Ahmed Mehedi and Advocate Aminul Islam argued for them while Advocate Khurshid Alam Khan stood for the Anti-Corruption Commission that filed the corruption case.

During the proceedings, Advocate Momtaz Uddin Ahmed Mehedi told the court that DIG Mizanur Rahman is a very honest officer.

He (Mizan) was awarded gold medal while he was an additional commissioner of police for his courageous role to prevent extremism and terrorism, the lawyer said, adding that his client (Mizan) will not leave the country if he is granted bail in the case.    

Advocate Momtaz Uddin read out from the first information of the case and said that the inconsistency of his known source of income and his wealth is very little and he might be granted bail.

After hearing his argument, the HC bench passed the order and made the comment.    

Mizanur came to the spotlight last year for “forcibly marrying and torturing” a woman, has amassed Tk 3.28 crore illegally over a period of 20 years, finds an investigation.

The deputy inspector general (DIG) of police made the money by taking bribes and committing corruption, according to the probe conducted by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). Between 1998 and 2018, Mizan earned Tk 4.63 crore, but only Tk 1.35 crore of it came from legal sources.

After finishing the probe, ACC recorded a case against DIG Mizan on June 24.

DIG Mizan came under scanner in January last year when he was accused of forcibly marrying and torturing a woman. Later, he was withdrawn from his post at Dhaka Metropolitan Police, and ACC opened an investigation into him in May last year.

INQUIRY INTO BRIBING

Meanwhile, the ACC investigation had stumbled after DIG Mizan raised an allegation of giving Tk 40 lakh as bribe to ACC deputy director and former inquiry officer Khandaker Enamul Basir. He had reportedly promised to free Mizan from the allegations.

After that, ACC suspended Basir and formed a fresh three-member committee to do the inquiry. The committee submitted the report recently, and ACC approved the filing of a case against Mizan on Sunday.

The commission also formed another committee to investigate the allegation of DIG Mizan bribing ACC official Basir.

As a part of the probe, the commission summoned Mizan and Basir for interrogation on July 1. ACC also asked senior reporter of ATN News Imran Hossain Sumon to appear before it on June 26. The television channel first aired a report where Mizan brought the allegation of bribing Basir.