Staff Report :
The High Court on Tuesday questioned the legality of a lower court order that granted permanent bail to Toufique Imrose Khalidi, Editor-in-chief of online news portal bdnews24.com, in a corruption case.
The court issued a rule asking the state and Khalidi to explain in 10 days as to why the lower court order that granted him bail in the case should not be scrapped.
The HC bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Ahmed Sohel came up with the ruling following a revision petition filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) challenging the lower court order.
Advocate Khurshid Alam Khan appeared in the court on behalf of the ACC, while Deputy Attorney General AKM Amin Uddin Manik represented the state.
Earlier the ACC moved to the chamber court and the regular bench of the Appellate Division seeking cancellation of Khalidi’s bail order after the journo had secured anticipatory bail from the High Court, but the ACC failed to get any order in favour of them.
Later on October 20 this year, a special court in Dhaka granted bail to Khalidi till November 25 on his surrender and on November 25 the court granted him permanent bail in the case.
The Anti-Corruption Commission recently filed a revision petition with the High Court against the special court order granting him permanent bail in the case. After hearing the petition the court on Tuesday issued the ruling.
The ACC filed the case against him on July 30 this year on charge of amassing money beyond known sources of income.
The case alleged that Khalidi deposited Tk 420 million in different bank accounts after receiving the money “through fraud [and] in an illegal way by preparing fake documents”.
But the ACC case dossier itself said that the money came through the sale of company shares owned by bdnews24.com and Khalidi, and it was indeed the same money deposited in the accounts of four banks.
Khalidi, who consistently denies the allegation of corruption, told the media at the beginning of the ACC investigation that bdnews24.com published reports that “hurt a very powerful lobby”, and are “paying the price” for what he believes is good, exemplary journalism done by his colleagues.
The High Court on Tuesday questioned the legality of a lower court order that granted permanent bail to Toufique Imrose Khalidi, Editor-in-chief of online news portal bdnews24.com, in a corruption case.
The court issued a rule asking the state and Khalidi to explain in 10 days as to why the lower court order that granted him bail in the case should not be scrapped.
The HC bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Ahmed Sohel came up with the ruling following a revision petition filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) challenging the lower court order.
Advocate Khurshid Alam Khan appeared in the court on behalf of the ACC, while Deputy Attorney General AKM Amin Uddin Manik represented the state.
Earlier the ACC moved to the chamber court and the regular bench of the Appellate Division seeking cancellation of Khalidi’s bail order after the journo had secured anticipatory bail from the High Court, but the ACC failed to get any order in favour of them.
Later on October 20 this year, a special court in Dhaka granted bail to Khalidi till November 25 on his surrender and on November 25 the court granted him permanent bail in the case.
The Anti-Corruption Commission recently filed a revision petition with the High Court against the special court order granting him permanent bail in the case. After hearing the petition the court on Tuesday issued the ruling.
The ACC filed the case against him on July 30 this year on charge of amassing money beyond known sources of income.
The case alleged that Khalidi deposited Tk 420 million in different bank accounts after receiving the money “through fraud [and] in an illegal way by preparing fake documents”.
But the ACC case dossier itself said that the money came through the sale of company shares owned by bdnews24.com and Khalidi, and it was indeed the same money deposited in the accounts of four banks.
Khalidi, who consistently denies the allegation of corruption, told the media at the beginning of the ACC investigation that bdnews24.com published reports that “hurt a very powerful lobby”, and are “paying the price” for what he believes is good, exemplary journalism done by his colleagues.
