SC clears way for Mirza Abbas’ graft trial

The Supreme Court (SC) today cleared the way for the lower court to resume trial proceedings of a graft case against BNP leader Mirza Abbas.

The Appellate Division of the SC scrapped a High Court verdict, that quashed the trial against Abbas, and ordered the trial court to proceed with the case.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the graft case on July 16, 2007 with Ramna Police Station in Dhaka on charge of amassing illegal wealth worth Tk 5.97 crore and hiding TK 3.33 crore worth of wealth information.

The HC on October 13, 2010 quashed the proceedings of the case saying that the notice issued by the ACC asking about the wealth statement from Mirza Abbas was illegal as there was no full commission in February, 2007.

The ACC then filed an appeal with the Supreme Court challenging the HC verdict.

Today, the four-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha cancelled the HC verdict following the ACC’s appeal petition.

ACC lawyer Syed Mamun Mahmud told The Daily Star that the special judge court-6 of Dhaka will now run the corruption trial proceedings against Mirza Abbas.