The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Sunday granted bail to BNP leader and former State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Mir Mohammad Nasir Uddin in a corruption case in which he was sentenced to 13 years’ imprisonment.
A three-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain granted the bail on the ground of ongoing Covid-19 situation, following a petition filed by Mir Mohammad Nasir Uddin.
Lawyers M Asaduzzaman and Ruhul Quddus Kazal appeared in the court for Mir Nasir Uddin, while Khurshid Alam Khan represented the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). The ACC filed the case against former State Minister Mir Nasir Uddin and his son Mir Helal Uddin with Gulshan Police Station on March 6, 2007 for amassing wealth illegally and concealing information.
On July 4, 2007, the special judge court sentenced Nasir to suffer 13 years’ jail and his son Helal to three years for abetting him. Both of them then filed appeal petitions with the High Court challenging the lawyer court verdict that convicted them.
The High Court in August, 2010 acquitted both of them from the corruption charges. Then the ACC filed appeal petitions against the High Court verdict. Following the ACC petitions, the Appellate Division on July 3 in 2014 cancelled the High Court verdict and ordered the High Court to hold rehearing on the case.
After rehearing, the High Court on November 19 in 2019 rejected their appeal petitions and upheld the lower court verdict. At the same time the court asked them to surrender before the lower court within three months.
Following the High Court’s direction, Mir Nasir Uddin on November 8 in 2020 surrendered in a Dhaka Court and the court had sent Mir Nasir Uddin to jail in the case.
Later Mir Nasir Uddin filed a petition with the apex court challenging the High Court verdict and also seeking bail in the case on health ground.
After hearing the bail petition, the apex court granted bail to him on Sunday on the ground of ongoing Covid-19 situation.
Meanwhile, his son Mir Helal Uddin also surrendered in a Dhaka Court on October 27 last year in the case and after hearing the court sent him to jail. Later Mir Helal Uddin secured bail from the apex court on November 1 last year.
