Mirza Abbas acquitted in two cases, discharged in one

BNP Standing Committee Member Mirza Abbas was acquitted in two separate cases filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), while he and his wife were discharged in another case.

ACC Public Prosecutor (PP) Mir Ahmed Ali Salam filed an application this morning seeking withdrawal of the case filed against Mirza Abbas alleging irregularities in plot allocation.

Judge Rabiul Alam of Dhaka Special Judge Court- 4 granted the plea and acquitted him following a short hearing. The other two defendants in this case are- former BNP MP Ali Asgar Lobi and government official Mahfuzul Islam.

According to the complaint of the case, when Abbas was the Public Works Minister in 2006, a company named “Pacific Chemicals” was allotted 19.44 ‘Katha plot” in Tejgaon industrial area through “irregularities” with the connivance of the other two accused of the case.

The then Deputy Director of ACC, Syed Iqbal Hossain filed a case on July 15, 2007, with Shahbag police station. Charges were framed against the trio on February 11 the following year.

In a separate hearing, Judge Masud Parvez of Special Judge Court-6 acquitted Abbas as the charges were not proved against him in the case filed for allegedly acquiring wealth outside known income and concealment of wealth information.

According to the case documents, ACC Deputy Director Md Shafiul Alam filed the case with Ramna police station of the capital on August 16, 2007, on the charge of concealing the information of 7.55 crores of assets inconsistent with the income.

After investigating the case, on May 24, 2008, the then ACC Deputy Director Md Khairul Huda submitted the charge sheet. On June 16, 2008, charges were framed against Abbas. Twenty four people testified before the court during the trial.

However, the same court discharged Mirza Abbas and his wife Afroza Abbas in a corruption case related to acquisition of assets beyond known income and concealment of assets.

Earlier, the duo made an application to the court asking for exemption from the liabilities of the case. (BSS)