Nasim exempted from court appearance

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A special court that deals with high-profile corruption cases Monday exempted the detained former minister Mohammad Nasim from personal attendance during trial of the WorldTel scam case, reports UNB.

Granting the application filed by Nasim, Judge Shahed Noor Uddin fixed July 23 for arguments in connection with the case.

From now on Nasim would be represented by his lawyer Sheikh Baharul Islam during trial proceedings, court sources said.

Nasim filed the application on June 26 as a supplementary to an earlier petition submitted to the government for overseas treatment. Mohammed Nasim, a front ranking leader of Awami League, was now being treated at LabAid hospital after he suffered a massive brain stroke on June 24 at Kashimpur jail.

The WorldTel scam case alleges that Nasim, while he was Telecommunications Minister, had abused power to allow WorldTel Holdings Limited to install 0.3 million digital telephones in the capital without floating any tender.