The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Monday fixed October 23, 2022, for hearing the leave to appeal petition filed by Haji Mohammad Salim, a ruling party lawmaker from Dhaka-7 constituency, challenging the High Court verdict that upheld his conviction and 10 years' jail sentence in a corruption case.
It has also kept his bail petition in the case in the record.
The court said, “The leave petition be posted for hearing on October 23, 2022. The application for bail be kept with the record.”
A three-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique passed the order after hearing the appeal and bail petitions filed by Haji Salim.
Lawyer Sayeed Ahmed Raza appeared in the court hearing on behalf of Haji Salim, while lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan represented the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
Earlier on May 24, Haji Salim filed an appeal petition with the Appellate Division challenging the High Court verdict that upheld his conviction and 10 years' jail sentence in a corruption case. He also sought bail in the case.
Haji Salim was taken to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) on May 23 for treatment, a day after he was sent to jail in the corruption case.
Salim, who was sentenced to 10 years in jail in the corruption case filed in 2008, surrendered before a Dhaka court on May 22 and sought bail. Rejecting his bail petition, the court sent him to Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj.
The High Court on March 9 in 2021 upheld 10 years' imprisonment given to Haji Salim in the case filed on charge of possessing wealth worth Tk 269.2 million beyond his known source of income. The court also upheld the fine of Tk 1.0 million imposed by the lower court.
However, the ruling party man was acquitted of three years' imprisonment given by a special court on charge of concealing information about his assets in the same case.
The High Court bench of Justice Md Moinul Islam Chowdhury and Justice AKM Zahirul Huq delivered the verdict after holding a hearing on an appeal petition filed by Haji Salim against the special court verdict. The full text of the verdict was released on February 10 in 2022.
Haji Salim was asked to surrender to the lower court within 30 days of receiving a copy of the High Court's verdict. The High Court had asked the special court to issue an arrest warrant against him in case of court order violation.
The court also acquitted Salim's wife Gulshan Ara Begum as she died in November 2020 during the pendency of her appeal against her three years jail term given by the same special court. Gulshan Ara was sentenced for abetting and aiding Salim in possessing the illegal properties he acquired since 1991.
Sources said the full text of the verdict was sent to the trial court on April 25 this year. And Haji Salim surrendered to the court on May 22 and sought bail.
The ACC on October 24, 2007, filed the case with the Lalbagh Police Station against Haji Salim on the charge of possessing wealth worth Tk 269.2 million beyond his known source of income. The trial court on April 27, 2008, sentenced Haji Salim to 13 years' imprisonment on two charges in the case.
