Staff Reporter :
The Supreme Court (SC) on Sunday granted conditional bail to Destiny Group Managing Director Rafiqul Amin and Destiny Multipurpose Cooperative Society Ltd Chairman Mohammad Hossain in two money laundering cases.
They will be released on bail subject to the deposit of Tk 2800 crore in the government treasury for selling 35 lakh trees of their ‘Tree Plantation Program’ in six weeks from Sunday or if they pay Tk 2500 crore in cash, so that the government can give the money to their subscribers, the apex court said.
A three-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha passed the order after hearing two petitions filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) challenging a High Court (HC) verdict that had granted bail to Rafiqul Amin and Mohammad Hossain.
Barrister Ajmalul Hossain QC represented two officials of Destiny, and Khurshid Alam Khan stood for the ACC.
Khurshid Alam Khan quoted the court to have said, “If you (Rafiqul and Hossain) cannot fulfil the conditions, you will not be released from jail,” He also said, ‘Destiny informed the SC that they had 35 lakh sellable trees under their ‘Tree Plantation Program’ whose price might be around Tk 2800 crore. If SC gives permission to sell those trees, they may be able to pay this money. Then the Court ordered them to deposit the money in the government treasury after selling these trees. The ACC chairman are directed to distribute this money among the subscribers.’ He also said, ‘The Jail Authority was directed to give all kinds of cooperation to the Destiny officials to sell these trees.’
“If they failed to collect Tk 2800 cr even after sale of trees, they would be released on payment of Tk 2500 cr in cash, said the ACC counsel. On July 20, 2016 the High Court granted bail to both Destiny officials in the cases saying that they would have to submit their passports to the trial court to stop their departure from the country before completion of the trial proceedings.
On August 24, 2016 the SC after receipt of two petitions filed by the ACC stayed the HC verdict.
The ACC filed the cases on July 31, 2012 against 22 officials of Destiny Group including Rafiqul Amin and Mohammad Hossain for laundering Tk 4200 crore. After investigation ACC gave charge sheet on May 5, 2014. A senior special judge Kamrul Hossain Molla framed the charge against the two officials on August 24, 2016.
