Dhaka: The High Court today acquitted businessman Gias Uddin Al Mamun from the charge of money laundering and scrapped a seven-year conviction given by the trial court on the charge. The decision was delivered by a High Court bench comprising Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Syed Enayet Hosain, following an appeal filed by Gias Uddin Al Mamun. According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Barrister Omar Sadat and Advocate Sabbir Hamja represented Gias Uddin Al Mamun in court, while Advocate Asif Hossain appeared on behalf of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). The ACC had initially filed the money laundering case against Gias Uddin Al Mamun with Cantonment Thana on September 22, 2011. Subsequently, Deputy Director of the ACC, Md Ibrahim, submitted a charge sheet against him on April 26, 2012. On October 31 of the same year, the court framed charges against Mamun, rejecting his appeal for dismissal of the charges. During the trial, nine out of ten prosecution witnesses provided their depositions. The trial culminated on April 24, 2019, when Abu Syed Diljar Hossain, Judge of the Special Judge Court number-3, convicted Gias Uddin Al Mamun and sentenced him to seven years of imprisonment, alongside a fine of Taka 12 crore. Furthermore, the court ordered the confiscation of 44,610.08 British pound sterling, equivalent to Taka 6,01,57,762 in Bangladesh currency, from Gias Uddin Al Mamun's account with NatWest Bank in London. Following his conviction, Gias Uddin Al Mamun filed an appeal before the High Court, challenging the trial court's judgment. Gias Uddin Al Mamun, who was arrested by police on January 30, 2007, and had served 17 years in jail, was finally released from the court on August 6 this year.
