HC starts hearing Ershad's appeal in graft case

The High Court today started hearing on a 24-year-old appeal of former president HM Ershad against a lower court verdict that jailed him for three years in a corruption case.

After concluding the proceedings, the HC bench of Justice Md Ruhul Quddus also fixed tomorrow (Thursday) for resuming the hearing.

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During the hearing, Ershad's lawyer Sheikh Sirajul Islam read out from the first information report and charge sheet of the case before the bench.

Earlier on August 22 this year, Anti Corruption Commission's lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan has prayed to the HC for hearing the appeal.

The then Bureau of Anti Corruption, which became defunct after formation of the ACC in 2004, had filed the case against Ershad with Cantonment Police Station on charge of misappropriating Tk 1.91 crore by misusing powers at different times while he was the president of the state from December 11, 1983 to December 6, 1990.

A Dhaka court on February 3, 1992 convicted Ershad, also the chairman of Jatiya Party, and sentenced him to three years' imprisonment for misappropriating the money and ordered the authorities concerned to confiscate the money and his Toyota Land Cruiser car for committing corruption.

Ershad, in the same year, filed an appeal with the HC challenging the lower court verdict.

Following the appeal, the HC stayed the the lower court verdict.

The ACC on February 26, 2012 became a party of the case under the HC's permission, as the BAC was not in function.

Ershad had earlier got bail from the HC in the case, ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan said.