Haji Salim surrenders before court

Awami League lawmaker Haji Mohammad Salim, who was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment in a graft case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission, has surrendered before a Dhaka court.

On behalf of the Awami League MP, lawyer Sri Pran Nath filed the bail plea in the court of Judge Shahidul Islam of Dhaka Special Judge’s Court-7 on Sunday (May 22).

Pran Nath told the media that Haji Salim will physically appear before the court at around 2pm.

In the bail petition, Pran Nath mentioned that Haji Salim became mute following bleeding in the brain during a heart surgery in 2016.

He received treatment for the condition at both home and abroad.

On March 9 last year, the High Court (HC) bench of Justice Md Moinul Islam Chowdhury and Justice AKM Zahirul Huq upheld the lower court order sentencing him to 10 years jail time after hearing a petition by the ACC.

At the same time, the Dhaka-7 MP was acquitted of a three-year jail term in the same case filed by the ACC for concealing wealth information.

The High Court also reduced the fine imposed on Salim by half to Tk10 lakh. He will have to spend one more year in jail if he fails to pay the fine.

In 2007, the ACC filed the case against Salim. 

On April 27 in 2008, a Dhaka court jailed him for 13 years and fined Tk 20 lakh.

Salim moved the High Court against the verdict.

In 2011, the court overturned his sentence but the ACC later appealed against the lower court verdict.

Later, the Appellate Division asked the High Court to re-hear the petition.