Huda’s acquittal scrapped, Khoka’s graft trial to continue

The Supreme Court today scrapped a High Court verdict that had acquitted former BNP minister Nazmul Huda in a corruption case.

A special judge’s court in Dhaka on April 3, 2008 sentenced Huda to 12 years’ imprisonment for illegally amassing wealth and concealing information about it in his statement submitted to the Anti-corruption Commission (ACC).

Following an appeal, the HC on August 18, 2010 acquitted him from the corruption charges saying that the ACC’s notice asking for his wealth statement was illegal since there was no full-fledged commission in February 2007 when the notice had been served.

Today, the four-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha cancelled the HC verdict in response to a petition filed by the ACC challenging the HC verdict.

After passing the order, the apex court sent the appeal to the HC for its fresh hearing.

ACC’s lawyer Khurshed Alam Khan told The Daily Star that the HC will rehear the petition to examine whether the lower court verdict on him was correct or not.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court today scrapped former Dhaka City Corporation mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka’s acquittal in a graft case and cleared way for a lower court to run its trial.

The Anti Corruption Commission filed the case with Shahbagh Police Station against Khoka and 12 high officials of DCC on June 29, 2010, on charges of irregularities in recruiting 49 officials to different posts of the corporation and in promoting two of its officials between October 18, 2006 and November 20, 2006.

A four-member bench of the Appellate Division of the SC headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha dismissed Khoka’s appeal challenging the HC verdict.

Ruhul Quddus Kazal appeared for Khoka, who is now in the USA for treatment.

There is no legal bar for the trial court to continue trial proceedings of the case against the BNP leader, ACC counsel Khurshid Alam Khan told The Daily Star.

Earlier, the HC rejected a petition filed by the former DCC mayor challenging the legality of the proceedings of the case on May 30, 2012.

All the accused in the case got bail from the HC in July 2010.