Bangladesh Islamist Party Leader Released on Bail

Text of report headlined “Nizami released on bail: Government, ACC file no appeals against HC order” by Bangladeshi newspaper New Age website on 16 July

The Jamaat-e-Islami amir [chief], Matiur Rahman Nizami, was released from jail Tuesday evening [15 July, local time] on a two- month interim bail in the GATCO [Global Agro Trade Company] case, in which all the accused arrested so far, including former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and five of her cabinet colleagues, are still in jail.

Nizami was the last of the ranking politicians to be arrested in corruption cases and the first to be released on bail after the military-controlled interim government had assumed office on 12 January 2007. Nizami was arrested on 18 May 2007.

Of the high-profile political leaders detained, former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, also the Awami League president, was released on 11 June by an executive order.

Nizami obtained bail from the High Court on Monday in the GATCO graft case.

On 30 September 2007, the High Court granted bail to Khaleda, also the Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson. Her bail, however, was stayed by the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court immediately as the government and the Anti-Corruption Commission [ACC] moved the Appellate Division against the High Court order.

The High Court had also granted bail to Hasina on 30 July 2007 in the 2.99-crore-taka [one crore equals 10m, one US dollar equals about 69 taka] extortion case filed by local power company boss Azam J. Chowdhury and on 7 August in the five-crore-taka extortion case filed by businessman Noor Ali.

The Appellate Division on 27 August 2007 halted the High Court orders as the government and the commission appealed against the High Court orders.

In the same GATCO case in which Nizami was granted bail, two others accused, Syed Tanveer Ahmed and Syed Galib Ahmed, were granted bail by the High Court, but they could not be released as the Appellate Division stayed the High Court order after hearing appeal preferred by the commission.

Neither the commission nor the government has so far made any appeal with the Appellate Division seeking halt of the bail granted by the High Court to Nizami.

The commission’s counsel, Khurshid Alam Khan, who opposed the bail during the hearing in the petition filed by Nizami seeking bail in the High Court, told New Age after Nizami’s release: “We could not appeal against the bail as Nizami did not make the commission a party to his bail petition.”

The commission on 2 September 2007 filed the case with the Tejgaon police and submitted the charge sheet on 13 May accusing Khaleda, Nizami, also one of Khaleda’s cabinet colleagues, and 22 others of causing losses to the state by awarding the Global Agro Trade Company the contract to handle containers at the Inland Container Depot in Dhaka and at Chittagong port.

Nizami, also facing another corruption case related to the Barapukuria coalmine deals filed by the commission on 27 February, was released as the commission made no prayer to show him arrested in the case.

Nizami was released from the prison cell at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University hospital, where he had been treated since 29 June. After his release, he went to the Jamaat office at Moghbazar. There were severe traffic congestions on the road from the hospital to Moghbazar as the party activists walked in procession after his release.

“I thank the countrymen who took part in the signature campaign, kept fasting and said prayers for my release,” said Nizami as he entered his office.

He also demanded an immediate release of Khaleda Zia.

Originally published by New Age website, Dhaka, in English 16 Jul 08.

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