Court Correspondent :
The Special Judge Court-1 of Dhaka on Wednesday sent wife, two sons and a daughter of former Awami League MP HBM Iqbal in the jail in a graft case filed for acquiring wealth illegally and concealing information about assets. Judge Ataur Rahman of the special court passed the order when they surrendered in his court seeking bail in the case.
Former MP Iqbal’s wife Mamtaz Begum Dolly, their two sons namely Moin Iqbal and Imran Iqbal and daughter Nourin Iqbal submitted bail petitions through their counsel Pran Nath Biswas. The court turned down their bail petitions and passed orders to send them in the jail.
On May 27, 2007, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the case against Iqbal, his wife and their three children for acquiring wealth illegally and concealing information about their assets in the statements submitted to the national watch-dog body.
On March 11, 2008, a court sentenced Iqbal to 13 years’ imprisonment and fined him Tk 50 lakh. Besides, the court sentenced his wife, two sons and the daughter to three years’ imprisonment. In the same year, the High Court stayed the verdict of lower court and issued a rule asking the authorities concerned to explain as to why the sentence should not be scrapped. On the occasion, the High Court acquitted Iqbal of the charge. Later, the ACC filed a petition challenging his acquittal.
However, the ACC apprised the court in 2015 that they did not want to proceed with the petition. On November 15, last year, the ACC again filed a petition with the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court seeking a stay on the order against the convictions of the family members of the former MP.
On November 26 of the year, the Appellate Division, upheld the convictions of former AL MP’s wife and children.
