SC halts order on bail to convicts

Dhaka, Dec 18 (bdprem.com) – The Supreme Court Tuesday halted until Jan 3 the Dec 13 High Court order that said it can give bail to convicts. The High Court in the same order had granted bail to advocate Sigma Huda and Mir Helaluddin, convicted in corruption cases. Your Ad Here The same verdict granted six weeks' conditional bail to Sigma, wife of former BNP communications minister Nazmul Huda, and Mir Helaluddin, son of former BNP state minister Mir Nasiruddin. The condition was that they would have to deposit their passports to the Dhaka chief metropolitan magistrate. Justice Joynal Abedin of the vacation bench of the Appellate Division Tuesday ruled that a regular bench of the Appellate Division would hear the case on Jan 3, 2008, after hearing appeals filed by the government and the Anticorruption Commission. Attorney general barrister Fida M Kamal representing the government and advocate Khandakar Mahbubuddin Ahmad defended Mir Helal in the hearing. Emergency powers rules say the High Court cannot grant bail to convicts nor can it stay orders of the trial court until counter appeals by the accused are disposed of. But the High Court says it has the jurisdiction to do so in line with the constitution. In a graft case filed with Dhanmondi Police Station by the ACC on March 22, a Dhaka special court on Aug 26 sentenced Nazmul Huda to seven years and his wife Sigma to three years in jail. According to case details, asked by Nazmul contractor Mir Jahid deposited Tk 2.4 crore in bribe to the bank account of Sigma in the name of 'The Khabarer Antorale', a publication she owned. A Dhaka special court sentenced Mir Nasiruddin to 13 years and his son Mir Helaluddin to three years in prison in a graft case involving their assets. The four convicts filed appeals challenging the special court verdicts and the appeals were accepted for hearing.