Former home minister and Awami League leader Mohammad Nasim, convicted of graft, was released on bail Saturday but remains at LabAid Hospital, a top prisons official said.
"Nasim was released in line with a High Court order," deputy inspector general of prisons Shamsul Haider Siddiqui told us .
Nasim remains in the hospital for now, and will go abroad later for better medical treatment, Rezaul Karim, Nasim's younger brother, said.
The authorities removed prison guards from the AL leader's room shortly after 12 noon.
On Aug 6, the High Court granted four months' bail to Nasim, who was hospitalised on June 24 following a stroke and has been undergoing treatment since then.
A special court sentenced Nasim to 13 years on Oct 8, 2007, for amassing illegal wealth amounting to Tk 1.26 crore. He was arrested on Feb 4, 2007, after the promulgation of the state of emergency.
His release on bail, originally set for Friday, was delayed as the scrutiny of the bail orders was taking time on the public holiday.
"Mohammad Nasim's bail orders have reached us. The process for his release is going on. However, as Friday is a public holiday the examination of papers at the jail office is taking some more time,"
Subject: Nasim free on bail at LabAid Hospital................. 
Sat Aug 16, 2008 12:17 pm
