Haji Salim gets bail in graft case

Staff Reporter :
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Tuesday granted bail to Haji Mohammad Salim, a ruling party lawmaker from Dhaka-7 constituency, in a corruption case, in which he had been convicted for 10 years’ jail sentence by a trail court.
A five-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique passed the order after hearing his leave-to-appeal petition challenging a High Court verdict that upheld his 10-year jail sentence in the case.
Haji Salim’s lawyer Sayeed Ahmed Raza said that now there is no legal bar on his client’s release from jail following the SC order.
Salim is now in the prison cell at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), where he has been receiving treatment. Salim would be released once the prison
authorities receive the bail order, added the lawyer.
Earlier on May 24 this year, Haji Salim filed the appeal petition with the Appellate Division of the SC challenging the High Court verdict that upheld his conviction and 10 years’ jail sentence in the case. At the same time a bail prayer was also placed with the appeal petition.
The ACC on October 24, 2007 filed the case with the Lalbagh Police Station against Haji Salim on charge of possessing wealth worth Tk 269.2 million beyond his known source of income. The trial court on April 27, 2008 sentenced Haji Salim to 13 years’ imprisonment in two charges in the case.
The High Court on March 9 in 2021 upheld 10 years’ imprisonment given to Haji Salim in the case filed on charge of possessing wealth worth Tk 269.2 million beyond his known source of income. The court also upheld the fine of Tk 1.0 million imposed by the lower court.
However, the ruling party man was acquitted of three years’ imprisonment given by a special court on charge of concealing information of his assets in the same case. The full text of the HC verdict was released on February 10 in 2022.
Haji Salim has been asked to surrender to the lower court within 30 days of receiving a copy of the High Court’s verdict. The High Court has asked the special court to issue an arrest warrant against him if he does not surrender within this period.
Haji Salim surrendered before a Dhaka court on May 22, this year. Salim was later taken to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University on May 23 for treatment, a day after he was sent to jail in the corruption case.