Court sets Apr 30 for verdict in BNP leader Amanullah Aman's graft case

A trial court sentenced the former state minister to 13 years in jail for amassing wealth beyond his known sources of income and asset concealment

The verdict on BNP leader Amanullah Aman's appeal against corruption charges is set to be delivered on Apr 30.

A three-member Appellate Division bench headed by Justice Md Ashfaqul Islam fixed the date after hearing a petition by Aman on Tuesday.

"The same High Court bench that had acquitted Awami League leader Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya in a similar case upheld the sentences against former DUCSU vice-president and BNP Chairperson's Advisor Amanullah Aman. We raised this issue in court," Aman's counsel Mahbub Uddin Khokon told reporters after the hearing.

On Mar 6, 2007, the Anti-Corruption Commission, or ACC, filed charges against Aman and his wife at Kafrul Police Station, alleging that the couple possessed assets beyond what they had declared in their wealth statement.

On Jun 21 of the same year, a special judge's court sentenced the former state minister to 13 years in prison. His wife, Sabera Aman, was jailed for three years.

The couple appealed the sentence to the High Court, which acquitted them on Aug 16, 2010.

However, the ACC challenged the ruling in the Appellate Division, which ordered the High Court to re-hear the case on May 26, 2014.

On May 30, 2023, the High Court upheld Aman's 13-year prison sentence and Sabera's three-year sentence.

Aman then filed an appeal against the High Court verdict on Sept 12, 2023.