Former Chief Justice Khairul Haque was shown arrested in a plot corruption case

❐ Staff Reporter

Former Chief Justice ABM Khairul Haque was arrested in a case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). The court also rejected his bail application.

The court of acting judge Ibrahim Miah of the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court issued this order on Wednesday, September 10. The court took this decision based on the ACC’s application.

Khairul Haque was produced before the court from Keraniganj Jail in the morning. He was brought to the court at 9:36 am and kept in the jail. Later, he was taken to the courtroom at 10:32 am and a hearing was held. After the hearing, the court granted the application to show him arrested in the case.

The accused’s lawyer, Monaim Nabi Shahin, applied for bail during the hearing. However, ACC lawyer Hafizur Rahman opposed the bail. After hearing the arguments of both sides, the court rejected the bail application.

On August 6, ACC Deputy Director Abdullah Al Mamun filed the case as the plaintiff. Eight people, including freedom fighter Khairul Haque, were named as accused.

Other accused include former RAJUK chairman Engineer Md. Nurul Huda, member (Finance and Estate) AIM Golam Kibria, member Md. Abu Bakar Sikder, member (Planning) Md. Anwarul Islam Sikder, member (Estate) Akhtar Hossain Bhuiyan, former joint secretary and member (Development) M Mahbubul Alam and member (Administration and Land) Nazmul Hai.

The case alleges that despite having a six-story house on about 18 kathas of land on Education Extension Road No. 2 (Nayem Road) in the capital, while serving as the Chief Justice, he obtained a 10 katha plot of RAJUK by submitting an affidavit in violation of Rule 13 of The Dhaka Improvement Trust (Allotment of Lands) Rules, 1969, by providing “false information” and “taking refuge in deception”.

The complaint further states that he violated the terms of the allocation and, with the help of concerned officials of RAJUK, instead of depositing the installment money within the stipulated time, deposited the money without interest five years after retirement. The ACC claims that by not paying the interest amounting to Tk 474,240, the government has suffered financial loss, the ACC claims.

It is worth mentioning that on July 24, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police arrested Khairul Haque from his Dhanmondi home. That night, he was sent to jail in the murder case of Jubo Dal activist Abdul Qayyum Ahad in Jatrabari. Later, on July 30, the court granted him a seven-day remand on charges of “corruption and passing illegal verdicts” in a case filed by Shahbagh Police Station. He is currently in jail.