The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Sunday dismissed two separate petitions filed by Destiny Group Managing Director Md Rafiqul Amin seeking bail in two money laundering cases involving Tk 42.0 billion.
A four-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain delivered the dismissal orders after holding hearing on the petitions.
Advocate Khurshid Alam Khan who appeared in the court on behalf of the
Anti-Corruption Commission said that Rafiqul Amin cannot be released from jail following the SC order.
Lawyers Abdul Matin Khasru and Sayeed Ahmed appeared for Rafiqul Amin during the court proceedings.
On August 20, the HC bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Ahmed Sohel rejected the bail petitions of Rafiqul Amin as he did not pay any money to the government in line with the Appellate Division order passed earlier.
Then, Rafiqul Amin, who is now in jail, filed the two petitions with the Appellate Division, challenging the HC’s rejection orders.
On November 13, 2016 Destiny Group MD Rafiqul and Destiny Multipurpose Cooperative Society Ltd Chairman Mohammad Hossain were granted bail by the Appellate Division on condition that they must pay the government Tk 28.0 billion in six weeks by selling 35 lakh matured trees planted under the company’s tree plantation project.
But Rafiqul and Mohammad Hossain have not paid the money yet in line with the SC directive.
Rafiqul, now in jail, filed the petitions on August 16 through his lawyer Ujjal Bhowmick with the HC seeking bail in the cases against him on grounds that he has been suffering in jail for a long period of time since October 11, 2012 and he is now physically ill.
After the High Court’s rejection on August 20 the lawyers of Rafiqul Amin moved to the Appellate Division.
On July 31, 2012, the ACC filed the cases against 22 officials of Destiny Group, including Rafiqul Amin and Mohammad Hossain, with Kalabagan Police Station. After investigation, the ACC submitted charge sheet in the cases on May 5, 2014.
The Destiny officials, including Rafiqul Amin, failed several times earlier to get bail from the Supreme Court in the cases.
