DHAKA: A Dhaka court Tuesday granted ad-interim bail to former BNP minister Tariqul Islam in a corruption case, one of some hundreds filed by the past interim regime against country’s leading politicians and other high-society people.

Metropolitan Sessions Judge Ismail Hossain passed the order after Tariqul prayed for bail appearing before the court earlier in the morning.

The court also fixed July 26 for a full-dress hearing on the bail petition.

On November 16, 2008, assistant director of the Anti-corruption Commission SM Sahidur Rahman filed the case against Tariqul with Shahbagh police station on charge of causing a loss of Tk 3.21 crore to the national exchequer during the rule of the BNP-led 4-party alliance government.

The other accused of the case--former government secretary Zafar Ahmed Chowdhury and former chief conservator of forests Anwarul Islam—are already at large on bail.

Meanwhile, the High Court on April 20 had granted Tariqul Islam bail in the case and asked him to get regular bail from lower court. And he did it.

BDST: 1400 HRS, JULY 13,2010