A Dhaka court has rescheduled the hearing on charge framing against Salman F Rahman, former private industry affairs advisor to ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, and former law minister Anisul Huq in a case filed under the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, reports bdnews24.com.
Judge Sabbir Faiz of the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court set Jun 21 as the new date for the hearing on Tuesday, following petitions for time from the defence lawyers.
According to Riaz Hossain, a bench assistant at the court, both Salman and Anisul were produced before the court on Tuesday for the scheduled hearing.
Sajibul Islam, representing Salman, told the court that they could not yet prepare an application for discharge as they were still reviewing the case documents and gathering necessary information. Anisul's lawyer, Sumon Hossain, cited health issues regarding their senior counsel.
"Our senior lawyer has suddenly fallen ill and is unable to appear in court. We require more time for the hearing," he submitted to the court.
The case dates back to Aug 13, 2024, when police conducted a raid near the Sadarghat No 2 Mosque based on intelligence from Bangladesh Bank. The duo was intercepted while allegedly attempting to flee the area, according to the case statement. Anisul was found in possession of US$ 17,592 and 726 Singapore dollars (SGD).
Salman, on the other hand, was carrying a diverse range of foreign currencies, including $ 12,624, Swiss Francs 620, 8,500 UAE Dirhams, 1.3 million Uzbekistani Som, 11,650 Saudi Riyals, 779 SGD, GBP 150, EUR 1,321, Bhutanese Ngultrum 6,230, Thai Baht 3,320, and BDT 50,000.
Sub-Inspector (SI) Md Sajib Mia of New Market Police Station filed the case with Kotwali Police Station on Sept 13.
Following the investigation, SI Nuruzzaman of Kotwali Police Station submitted the chargesheet on Nov 30.
The prosecution alleges that the suspects knowingly kept the foreign currencies in their possession for business purposes without any legal authorisation or valid documentation.
