Nizami gets bail in Gatco graft case: Azam surfaces before High Court, asked to surrender

The High Court (HC) yesterday granted two months' ad interim bail to detained former Industries Minister and Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Motiur Rahman Nizami in Gatco corruption case. Besides, the same bench of the High Court ordered Jubo League General Secretary Mirza Azam to surrender within 10 days before the trial court for bail in a graft case filed by the ACC and also asked the government not to harass or arrest him until hearing of his bail petition is completed.

A two-member High Court division bench comprising Justice Sharif Uddin Chaklader and Justice Md Emdadul Haque Azad granted the ad interim bail to Nizami and issued a rule on the government asking to show cause within two weeks why regular bail would not be granted to the Jamaat chief.

It was stated in the petition that due legal procedures and provisions were not followed in filing the case and submitting chargesheet against the Jamaat leader.

Earlier on July 9, the trial court rejected a bail petition for Nizami.

The Anti-Corruption Commission filed the case with Tejgaon Police Station on September 2 last year against 13 people including former prime minister Khaleda Zia, her younger son Arafat Rahman Koko and 11 others on charges of corruption in awarding Gatco the contract for container handling at depots in Dhaka and Chittagong. However, Nizami was not made an accused initially.

After investigation, ACC submitted chargesheet against 24 persons including former ministers Matiur Rahman Nizami, Mannan Bhuiyan, MK Anwar and M Shamsul Islam. Of them, 10 were accused in the FIR.

The chargesheet said that the accused persons, in connivance with each other, contracted out the work of container handling in Chittagong Port and Kamalapur ICD in Dhaka to 'inexperienced and incompetent' Global Agrotrade Company Ltd (GATCO) violating the binding rules.

It also stated that the action caused a loss of Tk 14.56 crore to the state.

Indicted in the charge sheet, Nizami was arrested from his Maghbazar residence on May 18 this year.

Besides, the same High Court bench ordered Jubo League General Secretary Mirza Azam to surrender within 10 days before the trial court for bail in a graft case filed by the ACC.

The High Court bench directed the government not to harass or arrest the former Awami League lawmaker without due process of law during this period.

Mirza Azam, who was on the run after the proclamation of state of emergency on January 11, 2007, submitted a bail petition suddenly appearing before the HC bench yesterday morning.

After hearing his bail petition, the division bench passed the order in the afternoon asking Jubo League General Secretary Mirza Azam to surrender within 10 days before the trial court for bail in the graft case filed by the ACC against him.

The HC bench ordered the police not to harass or arrest him during the court hours yesterday.

On January 10 this year, ACC Deputy Director Mobara Khanam filed the case with Ramna Police Station against Mirza Azam for amassing illegal wealth and giving false information on assets to the commission.

In the case statement, the complainant said Azam was accused of concealing Tk 64,295 wealth and accumulating wealth worth Tk 53,62,645 beyond known sources of income.

On July 7, ACC Deputy Director SM Mofizul Islam, also the investigation officer (IO) of the case, submitted the charge sheet against Azam to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's (CMM) Court, Dhaka showing 34 people as prosecution witnesses.