Apex court asks Mostofa to surrender to trial court

The Supreme Court yesterday directed former superintendent of police of Habiganj Mostofa Kamal to immediately surrender before the lower court for hearing an ACC appeal against a High Court verdict that acquitted him in a bribery case.

The apex court, however, asked the lower court to grant bail to Mostofa after he furnishes a bail bond on surrender.

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On December 19 last year a Dhaka court sentenced Mostofa to 35 years rigorous imprisonment and acquitted sub-inspector Md Wahed Miah of Habiganj police from the charges.

Following an appeal filed by Mostofa, the High Court on June 4 last year acquitted the suspended SP in the bribery case.

Later, the Anti-Corruption Commission took up the case and filed a leave-to-appeal petition against the HC verdict.

After hearing the leave-to-appeal petition, a four-member bench of the Appellate Division, headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, yesterday also allowed the ACC to move a regular appeal before it against the High Court verdict.  

According to the prosecution, police detained Salahuddin Ahmed, owner of SA Paribahan Ltd, and some of his staff in Habiganj on December 22, 2002 while going to Sylhet with Tk 20 lakh. Police told them that they were arrested for security reasons. Police took the money and did not return to them.

Three cases were filed against Salahuddin under the money laundering prevention act, the narcotics control act, and the women and children repression prevention act. The law enforcers also demanded Tk 30 lakh for Salahuddin's release, he alleged.

Salauddin's lawyer AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon told The Daily Star that his client has been acquitted from all the charges in the three cases. After his release, Salauddin filed the bribery case against Mostafa and sub-inspector Wahed.

ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan told The Daily Star that the SC will hear the ACC appeal to examine whether the HC acquittal of Mostafa is correct or not.