By Mizan Rahman
Dhaka
The Supreme Court of Bangladesh yesterday cancelled the acquittal of businessman Giasuddin Al Mamun, a close friend and business associate of Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader Tarique Rahman, in a disproportionate asset case.
A four-member bench led by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha passed the order after hearing of the leave to appeal plea by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
The top court also ordered further hearing of the case, said Khurshid Alam, lawyer of ACC.
In October 2008, the Special Judge’s Court had sentenced Mamun to 10 years in imprisonment and fined him 1mn taka in default to suffer one year more in prison for accumulating property worth 1.01bn taka beyond his known source of income.
On July 30, 2012, the High Court acquitted Mamun from corruption charges in response to an appeal.
Later on December 4, 2012, the ACC filed a leave to appeal with the top court.
During the army-backed caretaker government, the ACC on February 18, 2007 served notices on Mamun and 49 others asking them to submit their wealth statements within 72 hours.
As Mamun did not comply with the notice, the ACC filed the case against Mamun and his wife with the Cantonment Police Station on May 7 the same year on charges of acquiring wealth beyond known sources of income.
Tarique Rahman, the elder son of BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia,
is now living in London.
