Court rejects medical travel plea of Asif Mahmud's former aide Moazzem
That order was issued after the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) submitted a petition stating that an inquiry was underway into allegations of significant illegal wealth accumulation.
A Dhaka court today (20 January) rejected a petition filed by Md Moazzem Hossain, seeking permission to travel to Thailand for medical treatment.
Judge Md Sabbir Faiz of the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Court passed the order after a hearing in the presence of the accused, who is also the former assistant private secretary (APS) to then LGRD adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain.
Moazzem's counsel, Md Raihan, had moved the court to unblock his National Identification Card (NID) and grant him a month's leave to travel abroad for spinal cord surgery.
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The lawyer claimed that Moazzem was being "harassed through a conspiracy" and denied any involvement in anti-state or criminal activities.
The defence further argued that his client had sustained a spinal cord injury from a fall, resulting in fluid leakage. The petition included a medical invitation letter from a Thai hospital with an appointment scheduled for 15 February.
The rejection follows a travel ban and NID freeze imposed on Moazzem by the court on 24 May last year.
That order was issued after the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) submitted a petition stating that an inquiry was underway into allegations of significant illegal wealth accumulation.
According to the anti-graft body, Moazzem allegedly amassed wealth through the misuse of power, bribery, extortion, and tender manipulation during his tenure as the APS to the then Local Government, Rural Development, and Co-operatives Adviser Asid Mahmud.
The commission warned the court that the accused might flee the country to evade the ongoing investigation, necessitating the travel restrictions.
ACC came to know that the accused may leave to country to avoid investigation, so that he should be barred from going abroad and his NID should be blocked for the sake of investigation.
Moazzem was sacked from his position shortly before the ACC initiated its probe following widespread reports of financial irregularities.
