The full text of the High Court’s verdict was published on Thursday upholding 10-year imprisonment of Awami League parliamentarian Haji Mohammad Selim.
Haji Selim was asked to surrender to the trial court within 30 days of receiving the verdict from HC, Khurshid Alam Khan, lawyer of Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) told UNB.
HC directed the trial court to cancel the bail order to the Dhaka-7 MP and issue an arrest warrant against him if he does not surrender within the given time.
However, Haji Selim’s wife Gulshan Ara’s appeal filed in this case has been rejected as she died in 2020.
ACC lawyer, Khurshid Alam said, “After this verdict Haji Selim has lost the eligibility to remain a MP according to the paragraph 66 (2) of the constitution.”
Meanwhile Haji Selim’s lawyer ayed Ahmed Raza said, “We will appeal to the Supreme Court’s appellate division against the HC order. Until it gets settled Haji Selim can not be considered indicted and no such bar is effective on him remaining a MP.”
Lawyer Sayed Ahmed Raza however said Haji Selim will surrender to the trial court within 30 days following the HC order for now.
On March, 9, last year HC bench of Justice Md Moinul Islam Chowdhury and Justice AKM Zahirul Huq passed the order after hearing a petition by the ACC
At the same time, the Dhaka-7 MP was acquitted of a three-year jail term in the same case filed by the ACC for concealing wealth information.
The High Court also reduced the fine imposed on Selim by half to Tk 10 lakh. He will have to spend one more year in jail if he fails to pay the fine.
In 2007, the ACC filed the case against Salim. On April 27, 2008, a Dhaka court jailed him for 13 years and fined Tk 20 lakh.
Selim moved the High Court against the verdict.
In 2011, the court overturned his sentence but the ACC later appealed against the lower court verdict.
Later, the Appellate Division asked the High Court to re-hear the petition.
Irregularities of Selim resurfaced after his son Irfan Selim was arrested for assaulting a navy official in 2020.
Source: United News of Bangladesh