Huda rejects charge of land graft case
Friday, 19 October 2007
Former BNP minister Nazmul Huda denied Thurs-day any wrongdoing in allotting a railway plot to an organisation run by his wife at a token price.
In a deposition in the Special Judge's Court-5 of M Ashraf Hossain, the former communications minister of four-party alliance government pleaded not guilty, reports bdnews24.com.
"I have not committed any crime by allotting a plot of derelict railway land. The railway authorities were benefited through the deal," said Huda mentioned in a written statement.
Referring to the so-called 'minus-two formula', Huda said, "This case has been filed just to neutralise me as I was a close colleague of [former prime minister] Khaleda Zia."
"Do you think my political career would depend on the whims of the Chief Adviser or my political opponents? Or will it depend upon the people's will?" the former lawmaker asked.
On March 21, Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) Deputy Director Shafiqul Islam filed the case against Huda, charging him with corruption in land allocation.
The case details stated he had abused his official authority as a communications minister to allot 14 katha of railway land to his wife Sigma Huda's organisation 'Manobadhikar Bastobayon Sangstha' at a token price of Tk 5001.
It cost the government roughly Tk 78.40 million in losses, the case pointed out.
On July 23, ACC Assistant Director Mirza Jahidul Alam submitted charge sheet in the case in Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court for Dhaka.
On August 12, a Special Judge's Court framed charges and witnesses starting testifying on August 20. A total of 27 prosecution witnesses testified until September 12.
Meanwhile, a court handed down seven years jail term to Huda and three years to his wife in a bribery case on August 27.
In a deposition in the Special Judge's Court-5 of M Ashraf Hossain, the former communications minister of four-party alliance government pleaded not guilty, reports bdnews24.com.
"I have not committed any crime by allotting a plot of derelict railway land. The railway authorities were benefited through the deal," said Huda mentioned in a written statement.
Referring to the so-called 'minus-two formula', Huda said, "This case has been filed just to neutralise me as I was a close colleague of [former prime minister] Khaleda Zia."
"Do you think my political career would depend on the whims of the Chief Adviser or my political opponents? Or will it depend upon the people's will?" the former lawmaker asked.
On March 21, Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) Deputy Director Shafiqul Islam filed the case against Huda, charging him with corruption in land allocation.
The case details stated he had abused his official authority as a communications minister to allot 14 katha of railway land to his wife Sigma Huda's organisation 'Manobadhikar Bastobayon Sangstha' at a token price of Tk 5001.
It cost the government roughly Tk 78.40 million in losses, the case pointed out.
On July 23, ACC Assistant Director Mirza Jahidul Alam submitted charge sheet in the case in Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court for Dhaka.
On August 12, a Special Judge's Court framed charges and witnesses starting testifying on August 20. A total of 27 prosecution witnesses testified until September 12.
Meanwhile, a court handed down seven years jail term to Huda and three years to his wife in a bribery case on August 27.