HC denies Hasina's bail in extortion case

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Endorsing government position against ex-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's prayer, the High Court (HC) denied Monday her bail in an extortion case filed by a businessman, putting her regular release in limbo, reports UNB.
Though her counsel opted for filing appeal against the HC rulings, the process would take a long haul as the Supreme Court (SC) vacation would continue until October 12 and the procedure of appeal disposal was usually a time-consuming matter.
A vacation HC division bench comprising Justice Sheik Rezwan Ali and Justice M Rais Uddin passed the order, which apparently laid snags in the way of the Awami League (AL) chief's release being strongly demanded by her party ahead of December 18 parliamentary polls.
Sheikh Hasina, one of the top politicians arrested last year amid a crackdown on the political arena following the 1/11 changeover, was now in the United States on parole for medical treatment. Another detained former Premier and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia had been set free on bail in all the graft cases filed against her during the purge.
"Sheikh Hasina's attendance to the court is imperative for seeking bail on medical grounds - she cannot get bail in absentia," Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Tapas, a counsel for Hasina, told reporters quoting the court order as saying.
The HC bench in its order further observed that since Hasina was now abroad on parole which was in place for medical treatment and her treatment was going on, so the court did not find any ground for granting her bail on medical grounds once again, said the court order, according to Barrister Tapas.
Dismissing another ground placed in seeking her bail, the court in its order said "a political view" could not be considered for granting bail to any accused.
The counsel had argued that his client wanted to return home as a free citizen and desired to run her party ahead of the parliamentary polls slated for December 18.
Apparently disappointed, Barrister Tapas told reporters that they would move to the chamber judge of the Supreme Court for provisional leave to appeal against the High Court orders.
This extortion case was filed by businessman Noor Ali, an AL nomination-seeker for the stalled January 22, 2007 general election, in the wake of a vortex in the political arena after the 1/11 changeover following a political crisis over the election issues.
On July 30 last year, Hasina was shown arrested in the Tk 50-million extortion case over a decade-old power-plant deal filed by the managing director of Unique Group of Companies on June 13, 2007.
Noor Ali accused the ex-PM and her cousin and former Awami League MP Sheikh Helal and his wife Rupa Chowdhury, now absconding, of taking Tk 50 million in bribes for allowing his company to set up a power plant.
Meanwhile, Hasina's two other bail petitions involving Niko and barge-mounted power-plant graft cases were filed Monday with a division bench comprising Justices M Anwarul Haque and Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury.
Both the petitions might come up on the cause list today (Tuesday) for fixing the date for hearing.