Relief and Disaster Management Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya
The Supreme Court has observed that the High Court has not at all applied its judicial mind in acquitting Relief and Disaster Management Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya of the corruption charges brought against him.
“It (High Court) did not at all assess the evidence on record although the special judge on assessment of the evidence convicted the respondent (Maya),” a three-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha said in its full judgment.
Other two judges of the bench are: Justice Nazmun Ara Sultana and Justice Hasan Foez Siddique.
The SC, which had delivered the short verdict on June 14, today released its two-page full text saying that “the High Court Division shall dispose of the appeal on merit”.
The appeal was filed by Maya with the HC on May 25, 2009, challenging the special court’s verdict that on February 14, 2008, convicted him (Maya) and sentenced him to 13 years in jail, fined him Tk 5 crore, and ordered confiscation of about Tk 6 crore of his “ill-gotten” wealth .
The Anti-Corruption Commission filed the case against Maya, also ruling Awami League leader, with Sutrapur Police Station on June 13, 2007.
The case was filed when the army-backed caretaker government was in power and conducting a drive against corruption of high-profile politicians and businesspeople.
Maya, who was on the run during the trial, did not stand in the 2008 parliamentary elections. He returned home after his party came to power.
Following his appeal, the HC bench of Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain and Justice Gobinda Chantra Tagore on October 27, 2010 scrapped the lower court judgment and acquitted Maya of the corruption case.
The ACC in 2011 appealed to the Supreme Court to scrap the HC’s verdict.
Following the ACC’s appeal the Appellate Division on June 14 scrapped the HC verdict and sent the appeal of Maya to the HC for its rehearing and fresh disposal.
Source: The Daily Star