Court Correspondent :
Expelled Jubo League leader Ismail Hossain Chowdhury Samrat yesterday failed to secure bail in a graft case.
Earlier on April 10 and 11, Samrat was granted bail in money laundering, arms and narcotics cases filed with Ramna Model Police Station in 2019 considering his long custody and health.
However, he was refused bail in a graft case on Wednesday barring him walking out of the jail. Judge Al Asad Md Asifuzzaman of the Special Judge Court-6 yesterday rejected his bail petition in the graft case filed for siphoning off around Tk 222 crore and channeling it to casinos in Singapore and Malaysia between 2011 and 2018.
Due to the rejection order of bail in the case, he cannot be released from jail now, said his lawyer Ehsanul Haque Shomaji. During yesterday’s hearing, Shomaji told the court that Samrat has been suffering from different ailments, including heart disease. Moreover, he was in Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) for treatment for a long time. He had been languishing in the jail since October 6, 2019. So he should be granted bail, the defense argued.
On the other hand, the prosecution opposed the bail plea, saying that the charges brought against Samrat have been primarily proven.
Upon hearing both sides, the court rejected the bail petition in the graft case.
Earlier, Samrat was brought in the court in an ambulance from BSMMU.
The court fixed May 12 for hearing on charge framing against Samrat in the case.
