The High Court has released the full text of its judgement that upheld a trial court’s verdict that sentenced Dhaka-7 MP Haji Mohammad Salim to 10-year imprisonment in a graft case.
The HC bench of Justice Md Moinul Islam Chowdhury and Justice AKM Zahirul Huq announced the judgement on March 9 last year. The 66-page full text of the judgement was uploaded in the website of Supreme Court on Thursday.
In the written judgement, the HC bench directed Salim to surrender to the trial court concerned in 30 days. The 30 days will be counted from the date the trial court receives the HC verdict. In the full text of judgement, the higher court upheld the lower court’s judgement that convicted and sentenced Haji Salim to 10 years imprisonment in the case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) during the military-backed caretaker government in 2007. The case was filed for amassing wealth worth Tk 14.65 crore beyond known sources of his income. In the verdict, the High Court also upheld a fine of Tk 10 lakh.
Advocate Khurshid Alam Khan, lawyer of the ACC, told media that Haji Salim could no longer remain an MP as per Article (2) (d) of the constitution. He also said that Salim has to surrender to the lower court concerned. The trial court would send him to jail if he surrenders to it. Later, he will have to seek bail from the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, the ACC lawyer added.
Salim’s lawyer Sayed Ahmed Raza, however, said that his client would move an appeal before the Appellate Division challenging the HC verdict. Salim is unwell and therefore, he will seek bail from the trial court after surrendering to it.
The lawyer also said that his client’s parliamentary membership would stay as the issue will be settled by the apex court.
The trial court on April 27 in 2008 convicted Haji Salim and sentenced him to total 13 years’ imprisonment under two sections in the case.
Later, he appealed against the judgement with the High Court on October 25 in 2009. The High Court on January 2 in 2011 acquitted him of the corruption case.
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on January 12 in 2015 scrapped the High Court verdict and ordered to hold the hearing afresh.
