The High Court has issued a rule asking authorities concerned to explain why the bail granted by a lower court to four accused over embezzling 4 crore taka from Farmers Bank Ltd (now Padma Bank Ltd) should not be cancelled.
The High Court bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Ahmed Sohel issued the rule on Tuesday after the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed an appeal to the High Court against the lower court order.
Lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan was present in favour of the ACC while Deputy Attorney General AKM Amin Uddin Manik stood for the state.
Earlier on 18 August, Dhaka Special Judge Court-4 granted bail to four accused including former Farmers Bank Ltd Vice-President M Lutful Haque, First Vice-Presidents Swapan Kumar Roy, Md Shahjahan and Niranjan Chandra Saha.
On 25 October, a Dhaka Court fixed November 12 for the next prosecution witnesses to testify in the graft case against 11 people including former Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha for allegedly embezzling 4 crore taka from the then Farmers Bank and laundering the money abroad.
Judge Sheikh Nazmul Alam adjourned the hearing till November 12.
On October 4, three prosecution witnesses testified in this case. They are -- Executive Officers of Shahjalal Islami Bank Uttara Branch Ataur Rahman and Rafikul Islam and Manager of Padma Bank Gulshan Branch SM Sayem.
Dhaka Special Judge Court-4 framed charges into the case on August 13. Investigation Officer (IO) and Director of ACC Benajir Ahmed filed the charge-sheet in the case before the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Session Judge KM Imrul Kayesh on December 10, 2019.
However, the court transferred the case to Dhaka Special Judge Court-4 for further proceedings on February 20, 2020.
The ACC filed the case on July 10, 2019.
The other accused into the case are -- former Managing Director of Farmers Bank AKM Shameem, First Vice-Presidents Swapan Kumar Roy and Shafiuddin Askaree, Senior Executive Vice-President Gazi Salauddin, Vice-President M Lutful Haque, Entrepreneur Director Md Mahbubul Haque Chisty alias Babul Chisty, clients of the bank Md Shahjahan, Niranjan Chandra Saha, his uncle Ranajit Chandra Saha, and Ranajit’s wife Santree Roy.
According to the complaint, Md Shahjahan and Niranjan had the amount as loan from the then Farmers Bank which was later transferred to Justice Sinha’s Sonali Bank account. The amount was shown as proceeding from selling off his (Sinha’s) house.
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