SC upholds Shahed’s bail in graft case

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court (SC) on Monday upheld a High Court (HC) order that granted six-month bail to Regent Group Chairman Md Shahed alias Shahed Karim in a graft case.

Following a time petition filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), the Appellate Division bench led by acting Chief Justice Borhan Uddin passed the order and asked the HC to dispose the appeal within three months.

Earlier on September 14, the High Court granted six-month bail to Shahed in the case.

On August 21, Judge Prodip Kumar Roy of Dhaka Special Judge Court-7 sentenced Shahed to three years in jail in the case filed by the ACC for amassing illegal wealth.  

The anti-graft body on March 1 in 2021, filed the case for amassing illegal wealth of Taka 1.69 crore. The court framed charges against the sole accused on April 17, 2022, and initiated the trial.

A total of 10 witnesses testified in the case on different hearing dates.

On September 28, 2020, Shahed was sentenced to life in an arms case.

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on July 6 of 2020 raided two hospitals of Regent Group in Uttara and Mirpur and arrested the eight for issuing fake corona test results and certificates by using forged serial number and signatures of concerned authorities, realizing illegal fees from the patients, running hospital business without having any proper approval, among other charges.

RAB, on the subsequent next day, filed a case against 17 including Regent Group chairman Md Shahed under sections 406/417/465/468/471/ and 269 of the penal code with Uttara West Police Station.

Shahed was arrested on July 15, 2020 from Satkhira.

The arms case was lodged against him by RAB after they conducted a raid in Shahed’s Uttara office and recovered illegal fire arms.