High Court (HC) has granted an eight-week anticipatory bail to former Awami League lawmaker of Pirojpur AKMA Awal and his wife in three corruption cases filed for misappropriating khas (government) land.

The HC, however, ordered Awal and his wife Laila Parvin to surrender before the trial court concerned in eight weeks.

The bench of Justice Obaidul Hassan and Justice AKM Zahirul Huq came up with the orders following three separate bail petitions filed by the accused.

Both of the accused also appeared before the HC bench during hearing of the bail petitions today.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed three separate cases with its integrated district office in Barishal against AKMA Awal for misappropriating khas (government) land.

According to statement of the first case, the former lawmaker took lease of a khas land using fake documents and built a three-storey building on it. The building was later rented out to Pirojpur Rural Electricity Cooperative at the rate of Tk 17,250 per month since October 1, 2017 for about three years.

In the second case, Awal is accused of illegally grabbing a government land near Swarupkathi upazila bungalow and constructing another modern bungalow there. He also constructed Awal Foundation and Library on it.

According to the statement of the third case, Awal grabbed a 44 decimal pond known as “Rajar Pukur” in Pirojpur town and erected a boundary wall to keep it in his possession.

Advocate Awasafur Rahman appeared for the petitioners while Advocate Khurshid Alam Khan represented the ACC.