Sacked Sylhet mayor Ariful out of jail on bail

Convicted in four cases and jailed for the last two years, sacked Sylhet City Corporation mayor Ariful Haque Chowdhury has secured release on bail.

He was released from Sylhet Central Jail on Wednesday evening after furnishing bail documents, Senior Jail Superintendent Sagir Mia said.

He was presented before the Sylhet District and Sessions Judge's Court in the afternoon.

Speedy Trial Tribunal Public Prosecutor Kishore Kumar Kar said Judge Monir Ahmed Patwari ordered the withdrawal of the warrant for him after a hearing.

The copy of the order was sent to the prison following which he was released.

He secured his bail from the High Court against charges of his involvement in the murder of former finance minister Shah AMS Kibria, and of his involvement in bomb blast cases, including one on the Sunamganj's Dirai public meet of the Awami League. 

On Dec 10, 2014, the CID submitted the amended supplementary copy of the chargesheet against Ariful and 11 others including former prime minister Khaleda Zia's political secretary Harris Chowdhury in the murder case of Kibria. 

On Dec 21 of the same year, arrest warrants were issued for the 11 of them.

On Dec 30, Ariful surrendered before the court and was sent to jail.

Chargesheets were also submitted in court against Ariful and 13 others in the 2004 bomb blast on Awami League advisory council member Suranjit Sengupta's public rally in Dirai. 

Ariful was arrested on these two charges.