The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court (SC) on Monday cleared the way for Nagorik Oikya Convener Mahmudur Rahman Manna to contest the upcoming national elections.
Chamber Judge of the Appellate Division Justice Md Rezaul Haque stayed for eight weeks a Bangladesh Bank action that had listed Manna as a loan defaulter in the Credit Information Bureau (CIB) report.
The judge also stayed a High Court order issued on December 24, which had rejected a writ petition filed by Manna seeking a directive to remove his name from the central bank's loan defaulters' list.
The order came after the court heard a petition filed by Manna challenging the High Court verdict.
Senior lawyer Ahsanul Karim and Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua appeared on behalf of Manna, while Deputy Attorney General Zahirul Islam Suman represented the state and Barrister Abdul Qaium appeared for Bangladesh Bank.
Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua told the court that Manna had rescheduled the loan on December 10, but the lender -- Islami Bank Bangladesh PLC -- failed to update the information with Bangladesh Bank's CIB.
Manna is set to contest the national election from the Bogura-2 constituency. The BNP-led alliance has confirmed its support for him in the constituency.
On December 10, Islami Bank's Bogura Borogola branch issued a call-back notice seeking recovery of Tk 380.4 million from Afaku Cold Storage Limited, an entity led by Manna. The notice asked the borrowers to clear the dues by December 18, warning of legal action in case of non-compliance.
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