High Court orders probe into wrong accused in graft case

The High Court has ordered for investigation of an allegation that a wrong person is serving jail terms instead of the main accused in a graft case filed in 2008.

Advocate Motahar Hossain Saju, the defendant's lawyer brought the allegation on Tuesday.  

The High Court (HC) has asked the police superintendent of Barishal, Special Branch superintendent of police and Legal and Prosecution Wing of Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to probe into the matter and submit a report within two weeks.

An HC bench comprising Justice Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice KM Hafizul Alam passed the order at the bail hearing.

The next bail hearing date is March 5. 

According to the case statement, the ACC received allegations of embezzling Tk2.68 crore by forging documents from the Bangshal branch of United Commercial Bank Ltd. 

Later, ACC Assistant Director Abdul Wahid filed a case at Shahbagh Police Station on August 11, 2008 in this connection.  

Seven people were charged in the case and Jewel Rana was the fifth accused among them. 

Later, ACC Assistant Director Mohammad Belal Hossain submitted a charge sheet on April 1, 2009 after an investigation. 

After the trial procedures, on December 20, 2016 the Third Special Judge's Court of Dhaka issued the verdict of this case. 

The court awarded 10 years of rigorous imprisonment to each of the five accused.   

It also imposed a monetary fine of Tk40 lakh to each of them. 

The defendant, Jewel Rana also received the same punishment with the other accused but he was missing during the trial. 

He was arrested on 18th September, 2017. 

Later, a bail plea was filed in favor of Jewel Rana at the HC. During the bail hearing session, the defendant's lawyer said Abdul Quader is in prison instead of Jewel Rana. 

The name of the father and address of the accused are the same.  

Deputy Attorney General AKM Amin Uddin Manik stood for the state and SM Abdur Rauf represented the ACC in the case.