HC denies bail to NSU trustees, issues rule
The court asked concerned government bodies to explain within two weeks why the accused should not be granted bail
The High Court on Tuesday rejected bail pleas of North South University (NSU) trustees MA Kashem and Rehana Rahman in a case filed over allegations of embezzling over Tk300 crore.
The court also issued a rule asking concerned government bodies to explain within two weeks why the accused ought not be granted bail.
The bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Khizir Hayat passed the order after hearing bail petitions filed by the NSU trustees. The bench fixed 16 August for the next hearing on the rule.
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Advocate Sayeed Ahmed Raja and Shah Monjurul Haque appeared for the petitioners while Deputy Attorney General AKM Amin Uddin Manik represented the state at the hearing.
On 5 May, Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Deputy Director Md Farid Ahmed Patwari filed a case against six people over allegations of misappropriating Tk300.82 crore during purchasing land for NSU.
Azim Uddin Ahmed, chairman of NSU Board of Trustees, its members MA Kashem, Benazir Ahmed, Rehana Rahman, Mohammad Shahjahan, and Amin Mohammad Hilali, managing director of Ashaloy Housing and Developers Limited were charged in the case.
On 22 May, the High Court sent four NSU trustees, except Azim Uddin, to jail after denying them anticipatory bail in the case.
According to the case statement, the accused embezzled the money in the name of buying lands for campus development without informing the University Grants Commission, the education ministry and other authorities concerned.
They bought the lands at a lower price but reported a higher purchase price to authorities concerned, to embezzle the excess funds in a kickback from the seller in fixed deposit accounts, which were later withdrawn.
The Board of Trustees is the highest governing body of North South University under the Private Universities Act, 2010.
