The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Wednesday quashed corruption proceedings against former housing and public works minister and senior BNP leader Mirza Abbas over alleged irregularities in allocating government land to a journalists’ cooperative society in Mirpur.
A three-member bench, led by Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury, allowed Abbas’ appeal challenging a High Court verdict from May 13, 2019.
The High Court had rejected his criminal revision petition against a lower court order that framed charges in the Anti-Corruption Commission’s case filed in 2014.
The ACC had accused Abbas of causing a loss of Tk 16 crore to the state by approving the allocation of seven acres of Rajuk land in Mirpur to the society at a reduced rate.
Appearing for the ACC, lawyer Asif Hasan informed the apex court that Abbas, as minister, had merely approved a construction plan based on recommendations of a Rajuk technical committee.
The plan was for a 10-storey building, revised from the originally approved six-storey structure.
Asif further stated that Abbas was not named in the first information report but was implicated later in the charge sheet.
In its 2019 verdict, the High Court had observed that a prima facie case of misappropriation and abetment existed against Abbas, stating that as the then housing minister, he could not disown responsibility for decisions made under his ministry.
The ACC’s investigation, led by then deputy director Hamidul Hasan, concluded on February 11, 2015, with a charge sheet naming five individuals, including Abbas. The Dhaka Special Judge Court-4 framed charges against them on October 20, 2017.
Prior to that, on December 8, 2016, Abbas had filed a criminal revision with the High Court seeking dismissal of the case.
Senior lawyers Zainul Abedin and Ruhul Quddus Kazal defended Mirza Abaas in the Appellate Division.
