The High Court on Wednesday refused to quash the proceedings of a graft case filed against Awami League MP Abdur Rahman Bodi for accumulating wealth beyond known sources.An HC vacation bench comprising Justice Md Habibul Goni and Justice KM Quamrul Quader expressed the inability and returned the petition filed by the MP back to his lawyer.Advocate Abdul Baset Majumdar and Barrister Syed Ahmed Raza stood for the petitioner while Khurshid Alam Khan represented the ACC. Advocate Abdul Baset Majumdar said the HC returned the petition showing inability to quash the proceedings. “We’ll file the petition with another bench,” he said. There is no legal bar to continuation of the case against Bodi, the ACC lawyer said.Earlier on October 1, the High Court rejected an appeal filed by the Awami League MP challenging the legality of the graft case filed against him by the Anti Corruption Commission.On August 21 last year, the ACC filed the case with Ramna Police Station in the city accusing MP Bodi (Cox’s Bazar-4) of amassing wealth illegally. As per the FIR, Bodi submitted his wealth statement to the ACC on February 23, 2014, mentioning his and his family’s wealth worth about Tk 5.2 crore. Examining his income tax return, the ACC probe found that he acquired over Tk 16.07 crore in last five years (2009-13) and earned illegal wealth worth nearly Tk 11 crore.Bodi, in his wealth report, also mentioned an additional amount of nearly Tk 2 crore showing a higher price of his sold assets to make it legal.On October 12 last year, a Metropolitan Magistrate Court of Dhaka sent Bodi to jail in the case rejecting his bail petition when he surrendered before it. Later on October 27, the High Court granted a six months’ anticipatory bail to the MP. On May 7 this year, ACC deputy director Manjur Morshed submitted a charge sheet against him. On September 8 last, Judge of Dhaka Special Court-3 Abu Ahmed Jamadar framed charges in the case as the accused failed to submit the wealth statement to the court within the stipulated time.
