High Court questions legality of bail for Papul’s wife, daughter
A lower court, last year, granted them bail in an ACC case
The High Court on Monday issued a ruling, questioning the legality of a lower court order that granted bail to lawmaker Salina Islam and her daughter Wafa Islam in a corruption case.
Salina Islam is the wife of Lakshmipur lawmaker Mohammad Shahid Islam alias Kazi Papul – who is now in a Kuwait prison after being convicted in a money laundering and human trafficking case.
The High Court ordered the defendants and the state to give an explanation of the ruling within ten days.
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The High Court bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Mohi Uddin Shamim passed the order responding to the Anti-Corruption Commission's (ACC) plea. Lawyer Mohammad Khurshid Alam Khan represented the anti-corruption watchdog while Deputy Attorney General AKM Amin Uddin moved for the state.
On 11 November last year, the ACC filed a case against Papul – as well as his wife, daughter and sister-in-law – on charges of accumulating Tk2.31 crore illegally and siphoning off Tk148 crore from the country.
On 10 December, Papul's family moved to the High Court seeking anticipatory bail. Scrapping the bail plea, the High Court instructed them to surrender before a lower court, ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan told the press Monday.
On 27 December, Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge KM Imrul Kayesh granted bail to them upon their surrender. Then the ACC appealed to the High Court seeking cancellation of the bail order.
