High Court verdict in Ershad's appeal against graft conviction stalled

The High Court verdict in Jatiya Party chief HM Ershad's appeal against his conviction in a graft case has been stalled at the last moment.

Mehedi Hasan Piashbdnews24.com
Published : 23 March 2017, 11:11 AM
Updated : 23 March 2017, 01:34 PM

The bench of Justice Md Ruhul Quddus was expected to deliver its verdict on Thursday, but stalled it as two pleas by the State on the issue are yet to be disposed of.

The judge forwarded the documents to the chief justice, who will assign a new bench to hear the matters.

Khurshid Alam Khan stood for Anti-Corruption Commission. Sheikh Sirajul Islam argued for Ershad and Deputy Attorney General Najibur Rahman stood for the State.

The judge himself brought the old appeals files forward as no one of the three sides informed him about those.

The ACC said it had no idea about the appeal filed by the State 25 years ago because the commission was included as party in the case later.

The State said it was not ready to shoulder the responsibility of the appeal filed during the tenure of another government because there was no instruction on it from the current government.

Former president Ershad is now the prime minister’s special envoy. His wife Raushon Ershad is the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament.

Ershad was accused in around three dozen cases filed after his ouster in 1990 on various charges. He was convicted in four of the cases, including the one, of which the appeal verdict was stalled on Thursday.

The former military dictator is accused of financial irregularities involving gifts worth over Tk 19 million he had received as president in the case started with Cantonment Police Station on Jan 8, 1991.

Dhaka’s Special Judge’s Court sentenced him to three years in jail on Feb 3, 1992 in the case. The verdict was stayed after Ershad challenged it in High Court the same year.