DHAKA: A Dhaka court Tuesday exonerated former Awami League General Secretary Abdul Jalil from a tax-evasion case filed against him last year by the National Board of Revenue.

Judge FM Aminul Islam of Special Judge’s Court-1 issued the order after hearing the petition filed by the lawyer of Jalil, also a former minister.

Abdul Jalil, chairman of Mercantile Bank Ltd, was present during the hearing.

Moklesur Rahman Badol, the lawyer for Abdul Jalil, told banglanews24.com that the court exempted Jalil from the case as Jalil had paid the tax before the case was filed.

Deputy Tax Commissioner of NBR Md. Bazlur Rahman Khan on October 15 last year filed the case with Dhaka Metropolitan judge’s court against Jalil for evading income tax worth Tk 407,485 out of an income from the bank amounting to Tk 54,60,243 for the fiscal years 2003-2008.

The same day last year, the court issued an arrest warrant against the AL leader, who fell from grace of the party chief, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, for his reformist role from behind bars following the 1/11 changeover. Abdul Jalil got bail from the High Court on October 18.

BDST 1715 hrs June 15, 2010.
JA/RS/SMS/MUA