Arrest warrant issued against BNP leader Tuku in graft case

A Dhaka court has issued an arrest warrant against BNP Standing Committee member Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku, who was sentenced to nine years of imprisonment in a case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission in 2007 but did not surrender to the trial court as per the High Court's verdict.

Judge Iqbal Hossain of Special Judge Court-5 of Dhaka passed the order on Monday.

On 26 July, the High Court bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Khizir Hayat released the full text of the judgement in the case against Tuku and ordered him to surrender within 15 days of getting it.

The judge issued the arrest warrant because the stipulated period ended on Monday (11 September), but Tuku did not surrender by then, ACC lawyer Mosharraf Hossain Kajal told reporters.

On 30 May, the High Court bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Khizir Hayat upheld Tuku's nine-year prison sentence.

In March 2007, ACC Deputy Director Shahriar Chowdhury filed the case against Tuku, state minister for Power during the BNP  regime, at Mohammadpur police station on the charge of concealing the account and source of income of around Tk4. 96 crore.

ACC Deputy Director SMM Akhtar Hamid Bhuia submitted the charge sheet in the case in the Metropolitan Magistrate Court on 28 June of that year. On 15 November 2007, the trial court sentenced Tuku to 9 years in prison in the case.

The High Court acquitted him on 15 June 2011 when he appealed against the verdict.

When the Anti-Corruption Commission appealed against the High Court's verdict on 21 January 2014, the Appellate Division cancelled the acquittal and ordered a retrial.

Then, Tuku applied for a review of the Appellate Division's verdict. Later that application was dismissed by the Appellate Division. Thereafter, the re-hearing of the appeal in the High Court division began.