The High Court on Thursday admitted an appeal petition for hearing filed by Destiny Group President and also former Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen (retd) Harun-Ar-Rashid against his four years jail sentence given by a special court in a case filed over embezzling Tk 18.61 billion through Destiny Multipurpose Cooperative Society Limited.
However, the court summarily rejected the bail petition filed by Gen Harun-Ar-Rashid in the case.
The High Court bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Kazi Md Ejarul Haque Akondo passed the order after a primary hearing on the appeal petition filed by the former Chief of Army Staff.
The High Court also directed the concerned bodies of the government to take necessary steps to arrest 39 convicts who have been absconding in the case. The Inspector general of police (IGP), Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and other law enforcement agencies have been asked to comply with the direction.
Apart from this, the court also directed the IGP to take necessary steps to issue a red alert through Interpol, the International Criminal Police Organization, against the 39 absconding accused in the case, said deputy attorney general AKM Amin Uddin Manik.
The court also called for all records of the case from the trial court and directed to prepare a paper book for an appeal hearing in the case.
Lawyer Md Robiul Alam Budu appeared in the case on behalf of Gen Harun, while lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan appeared for the ACC and deputy attorney general AKM Amin Uddin Manik represented the state.
Earlier on May 12 in 2022, a special court in Dhaka sentenced all the 46 accused, including Destiny Group President Gen Harun-Ar-Rashid and Managing Director Rafiqul Amin, to different terms of imprisonment in a case filed over embezzling Tk 18.61 billion through Destiny Multipurpose Cooperative Society Limited.
Harun-Ar-Rashid was sentenced to four years imprisonment and fined Tk 35 million and Rafiqul Amin was sentenced to 12 years of imprisonment and fined Tk 2.0 billion. The court awarded minimum imprisonment to the former Chief of Army considering his noble contribution to our great liberation war.
Judge of the Special Judge's Court-4 in Dhaka, Shaikh Nazmul Alam, delivered the verdict after concluding all the proceedings of the case.
The Anti-Corruption Commission on July 31, 2012, filed two cases under Money Laundering Prevention Act with the capital's Kalabagan Police Station.
In one case, 46 people were accused of misappropriating Tk 18.61 billion under the cover of Destiny Multipurpose Cooperative Society Limited Project, while in another case 19 people were accused of embezzling more than Tk 22.57 billion through Destiny Tree Plantation Project (DTPP).
The court on August 24, 2016, framed charges in the two cases. Of the two cases, the court pronounced the judgment in the Destiny Multipurpose Cooperative Society Limited case on May 12 this year.
