HC’s stay order in graft case against Latif Siddique upheld

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court (SC) has upheld the High Court (HC) order that stayed for six months the trial proceedings of a graft case filed against former minister Abdul Latif Siddique.

At the same time, the HC has been directed to dispose of the case within six months.

The Appellate Division virtually led by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain passed the order on Thursday (July 16).

Former Justice A K M Shahidul Haque stood for Latif Siddique while Advocate Khurshid Alam Khan represented the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) during hearing in the court.

Earlier, the ACC filed a petition with the Appellate Division against the HC order that stayed for six months the trial proceedings of a graft case filed against Abdul Latif Siddique.

The HC on February 26 stayed for six months the corruption case filed against former textiles and jute minister Abdul Latif Siddique on charge of misuse of power in selling a government property.

According to the case statement, one Jahanara Rashid leased a piece of land in Adamdighi upazila, owned by Bangladesh Jute Corporation, for three years at Tk 1.2 lakh per year on May 13, 2010.

In spite of getting repeated order from the textiles and jute ministry to pay rent for the land, Jahanara applied to the ministry to purchase the land on November 13, 2011.

Later, then textiles and jute minister Latif Siddique, without floating any formal tender, sold the land to Jahanara at Tk 23.94 lakh although its market price was Tk 64.63 lakh, resulting in a loss of Tk 40.69 lakh.

Following the incident, the ACC on October 17, 2017 filed the case against Latif and Jahanara under the Penal Code and section 5(2) of the Anti-Corruption Commission Act-1947.

** Latif Siddique’s graft case stayed at HC

Dhaka/Mahidi/AI