DHAKA: The High Court on Wednesday (November 08) commuted seven years rigorous imprisonment of former communications minister Barrister Nazmul Huda to four years for bribe charge.
The higher court, however, upheld his wife Sigma Huda’s three years simple imprisonment in the same case but her punishment has been considered as served since she was in jail for nearly three years. The court exempted the rest duration of three years.
After delivering the verdict, the court asked Nazmul Huda, also a former senior leader of the BNP, surrendered before the trial court within 45 days.
The HC bench of Justice Bhabani Prasad Singha and Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam delivered the verdict against the couple in a Tk 2.4 crore bribery case filed by the Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) during the 2007-2008 army-backed caretaker government.
Barrister Nazmul Huda moved in the court for himself and his wife, while Advocate Khurshid Alam Khan represented for the ACC.
The HC bench gave the verdict after the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court had assigned it to rehear the case with merit.
The Appellate Division had stayed verdict of another High Court bench which had acquitted both Nazmul Huda and Sigma Huda.
On August 27 in 2007, a special court of Dhaka set up in the MP Hostel in Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban complex jailed Nazmul Huda for seven years and Sigma Huda for three years in the bribery case.
The court had also fined Nazmul Huda Tk. 2.50 crore. The amount of the bribe of Tk 2.40 crore was taken by Nazmul Huda assisted by his wife.
On March 20 in 2011, a bench of the High Court acquitted Nazmul Huda and Sigma Huda of the bribery charge.
On December 01 in 2014, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court cancelled the HC order. A four-member bench headed by Justice SK Sinha passed the order after hearing the leave-to-appeal petitions filed by ACC and the state.
On April 13 in 2016, the apex court also rejected a review plea of Nazmul Huda and his wife.
ACC Deputy Director Shafiqul Islam filed the case with city’s Dhanmondi police station on March 21 in 2007 for taking bribe money from Mir Zahir Hossain, owner of Mir Akter Hossain Ltd, a construction firm. On June 4 in that year, the ACC pressed charges against them.
Nazmul Huda took the amount as bribe in exchange for awarding Mir Zahir Hossain five government contracts for construction works. The government contracts included a work order for renovation of roads under DFID projects at Bhulta, Rupganj, and Rampura worth Tk 4.16 crore.
The bribe was taken in phases in February 12 in 2005 when Nazmul Huda was communications minister Khaleda Zia’s government.
Sigma Huda was charged in the same case for aiding and abetting her husband in taking the bribe, which was found deposited in an account of Khoborer Ontorale, a weekly newspaper owned by her. Later, Tk 1 crore of the bribe money was transferred to HSBC bank accounts of their daughters.
BDST: 1600 HRS, NOV 08, 2017
EHJ/SMS
