Politics

Haji Selim gets bail in graft case

The Appellate Division of Supreme Court has granted bail to Awami League lawmaker Haji Mohammad Selim in a case lodged over amassing illegal wealth.  

A five-member appellate bench headed by Chief Justice Hasan Foyez Siddiqui passed the order on Tuesday. 

Haji Selim’s lawyer advocate M Sayeed Ahmed Raja confirmed the matter to Jago News. 

The trial court on April 27, 2008, convicted Haji Salim and sentenced him to total 13 years’ imprisonment under two sections in the case, which was filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on October 24, 2007. 

The accused appealed against the judgement with the High Court on October 25, 2009. The High Court on January 2, 2011, acquitted him of the corruption case, making the anti-graft body to appeal against the High Court verdict.

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on January 12, 2015, scrapped the High Court verdict and ordered to hold the hearing afresh.

On March 9 last year, the High Court upheld the lower court judgement that sentenced Haji Selim to 10-year imprisonment in a case lodged over amassing illegal wealth.

The court however, acquitted the lawmaker of the charge of concealing information in his wealth statement, for which Haji Selim was sentenced to three-year imprisonment.