Probe into S Alam's assets abroad: SC defers hearing till Feb 5

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court today deferred for three weeks the hearing on whether the authorities concerned will probe allegations against the owner of S Alam Group of amassing property abroad without Bangladesh Bank's permission.

A four-member Appellate Division bench headed by the chief justice extended the status quo order until February 5.

Ajmalul Hossain, senior counsel for S Alam Group owner Mohammed Saiful Alam, argued that the High Court cannot issued a suo motu rule asking for a probe based off a newspaper report.

The suo motu (voluntary) rule had come after The Daily Star on August 4 published a report titled "S Alam's Aladdin's Lamp".

Lawmaker Sayedul Haque Sumon had brought the report to the court's notice, following which the HC issued the suo motu.

Ajmalul Hossain argued that private parties like SC lawyer Barrister Suman got temporarily involved with such cases and obtain such rulings from the court for "political leverage".

He termed this as "mischief".

The bench ordered that Sumon be made party to Alam's petition to get the HC ruling revoked.

Sumon had earlier applied to be a party but his application had been opposed by Alam's lawyers and rejected by a chamber judge.

The Appellate Division of the SC was scheduled to hold hearing on January 8 on the leave to appeal petition filed by S Alam and his wife Farzana Parveen on August 21 last year through their lawyers seeking stay on the HC order.

However, a four-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Justice Borhanuddin passed the deferment order on that day after lawyer Ajmalul sought an adjournment of the hearing.