Haji Selim ordered to surrender

Court Correspondent: The High Court yesterday has ordered Haji Md. Selim, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison in the case of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on charges of illegal acquisition of assets, to surrender within 30 days. At the same time, he was ordered to receive the verdict of the judicial court.
“Haji Selim has to go to jail,” said ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan.
A full verdict in the case, signed by Justice Md. Moinul Islam Chowdhury and Justice AKM Zahirul Haque, was published on Wednesday. However, Haji Selim is currently out on bail in the case.
The verdict was announced on March 9 last year by a two-judge virtual bench of the High Court. Abdul Baset Majumder and Lawyer Sayeed Ahmed Raza were heard for Haji Selim while Lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan represented the ACC. On the other hand, Deputy Attorney General Md. Asaduzzaman Monir represented the state.
Asaduzzaman Monir said two judges signed a full copy of the verdict on Wednesday which reduced the 13-year sentence to 10 years given to Haji Md. Selim in the case filed by the ACC on charges of acquiring illegal assets. As a result, it can be said that the verdict has been published.
Meanwhile, Haji Selim’s lawyer Sayeed Ahmed Raza said if the verdict is announced, Haji Selim will surrender within the stipulated time as per the High Court verdict. “We will appeal against the verdict of the High Court within the stipulated time,” he added.
Earlier, the High Court had reduced Haji Selim’s 13-year imprisonment to 10 years in the case. He was also fined Tk 10 lakh and sentenced to one more year of rigorous imprisonment for non-payment.
A virtual High Court bench comprising Justice Moinul Islam Chowdhury and Justice AKM Zahirul Haque handed over the verdict in March 2021 at the end of the hearing of an appeal in this regard.
In the case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) almost two decades ago, Haji Selim was sentenced to 10 years and three years in prison under two separate sections.
Noted that the ACC filed a case against Haji Selim with the Lalbagh Police Station on October 24, 2007, for illegally acquiring assets and concealing information worth Tk 59,37,26,132
Haji Selim was convicted in that case on April 27, 2008, and sentenced to 13 years imprisonment by the special judge court adjacent to the Parliament building under two sections of the ACC Act. Besides, a fine of Tk 20 lakh was also imposed. The court sentenced his wife, Gulshan Ara Begum (now deceased), to three years in prison on charges of aiding and abetting illicit wealth.
On October 25, 2009, Haji Selim appealed to the High Court against the verdict. Later, on January 2, 2011, the High Court quashed his sentence. The ACC then appealed to the Supreme Court against the High Court verdict.
Following the hearing of the appeal, the Appellate Division quashed the judgment of the High Court on January 12, 2015, and again directed the High Court to hear the appeal of Haji Selim. Following that instruction, the ACC took the initiative to hear the case on November 9, 2021.
Later, the High Court summoned all the documents (LCR) of Haji Selim’s case in the appeal hearing on November 11 last year. After receiving the documents, the re-hearing in the High Court started on January 31 this year. The court then announced the verdict.