The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Monday stayed a High Court order that granted bail to Abdul Latif Siddique, former textiles and jute minister, in a case filed by Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on charge of misuse of power in selling a government property.
A four-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain passed the order after hearing a petition filed by ACC seeking stay on High Court order.
The apex court asked the ACC to file a regular leave to appeal petition with the
Appellate Division against the High Court order within November 17. Advocate Khurshid Alam Khan appeared in the court on behalf of ACC, while advocate Mansurul Hoque Chowdhury stood for Latif Siddique.
On November 4, the HC Bench of Justice Obaidul Hassan and Justice AKM Zahirul Huq granted bail for six months to Abdul Latif Siddique in the case and also issued a rule.
The ACC on November 7 filed a petition with the Appellate Division seeking stay on the High Court order granting bail to Latif Siddique. The petition came to Monday’s cause-list of the apex court.
After the apex court’s order, advocate Khurshid Alam Khan said, “The Appellate Division stayed the bail granted to Latif Siddique till November 17 and asked the ACC to file a leave to appeal petition by this time.”
Advocate Subrata Kumar Kundu filed the bail petition on September 24, 2019, on behalf of the former minister.
ACC Assistant Director Aminul Islam lodged the case with Adamdighi Police Station in Bogura on October 10, 2017. Jahanara Rashid, wife of late Harunur Rashid in Kalitala of Adamdighi upazila, was also made accused in the case.
According to the case statement, Jahanara leased a piece of land in Adamdighi, owned by Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation, for three years at Tk 1.2 lakh per year on May 13, 2010.
On November 13, 2011, Jahanara applied to the ministry for purchasing the land.
Later, then textiles and jute minister Abdul Latif Siddique, without floating any formal tender, awarded the land to Jahanara at Tk 2.39 million although its market price was Tk 6.46 million, resulting in a loss of Tk 4.06 million.
Following the incident, the ACC filed the case against Latif and Jahanara under the Penal Code and section 5(2) of the Anti-Corruption Commission Act 1947.
On June 20 this year, a Bogura court sent Latif Siddique to jail in the case rejecting his bail petition.
