Allegation against businessman for getting bail under false pretenses
He forged a No Objection Certificate
A businessman in the capital named Sirajuddaula Khokon has been accused of getting bail from the High Court (HC) under false pretenses.
Khokon is the son-in-law of Nabiullah Nabi, vice-president of Dhaka Metropolitan South unit of BNP.
Using a fake No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Dhaka Deputy Commissioner's Office, the businessman was illegally operating Hajera Agrobased Cold Storage from the basement of his house in Kazirgaon area of Matuail in the capital.
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On 16 October last year, the executive magistrate of Dhaka district administration conducted a mobile court drive and sealed the cold storage facility. Khokon was sentenced to a one-year prison term at the time.
Khokon appealed against the sentence to the Additional Deputy Commissioner's Executive Court, seeking a certified copy of the sentence. When he did not receive the certified copy, he filed a writ petition in the HC on 29 November last year against the conviction of the mobile court. He applied for supplementary bail as well.
On 6 December, an HC bench of Justice Ashfaqul Islam and Justice Mohammad Ali granted Khokon six months' bail.
However, according to the deputy commissioner's office, a certified copy of the verdict was provided to Khokon on 3 December, three days before the HC granted bail.
But during the bail hearing on 6 December, this fact was not disclosed. According to HC officials, upon receiving the certified copy, Khokon should have applied to the Additional Deputy Commissioner's Executive Court.
Lawyers say Khokon cheated the HC by concealing vital information and his bail may be revoked.
Khokon's lawyer in the HC, Syeda Nasreen, told The Business Standard that her client had not provided her with a certified copy of the mobile court's sentence until the bail hearing on 6 December.
Sources at the administration office said Khokon started the business in violation of the Building Construction Act-1952. The Department of Environment became suspicious of the NOC and sent the document to the office of the Deputy Commissioner for verification, where it was proven to be fake.
The executive magistrate then raided the cold storage and penalized Khokon. The district administration later filed a case against Khokon with Kotwal Police Station for NOC forgery.
He is now in prison, serving time for the forgery case.
