Appellate Division upholds HC order on BNP MP Harun

The Appellate Division on Wednesday upheld a High Court Division order granting six-month interim bail to BNP MP Harunur Rashid in a case filed over abusing duty-free import facilities, reports UNB. 

A four-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain, passed a ‘no order’ on the petition filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan said they would file a regular leave-to-appeal petition after receiving the verdict copy.

On Tuesday, ACC filed the petition seeking a stay on Monday’s High Court order granting interim bail to Harun and staying the subordinate court’s Tk 50 lakh fine.

Chamber Judge Justice Md Nuruzzaman sent the appeal to the regular bench fixing Wednesday for hearing.

Harun, an MP from Chapainawabganj-3 constituency, was sentenced to five years in jail and fined Tk 50 lakh by a Dhaka Court on Oct 21 for abusing duty-free import privilege.

NTV Managing Director Enayetur Rahim Bappi was given two years’ jail with Tk 1 lakh fine while businessman Imtiaz Sadeque got three years’ imprisonment with Tk 40 lakh fine. 

According to prosecution, Harun imported a duty-free vehicle at Tk 11.65 lakh in 2004. Later, in collusion with Imtiaz, he sold the vehicle to Enayetur for Tk 97 lakh.

Later, Sub-Inspector Mohammad Yunus Ali of Tejgaon Police Station filed a case against Harun and two others on March 17, 2007.

In July that year, ACC Assistant Director Monayem Hossain submitted a charge-sheet against the trio.