Ex-speaker Jamir Uddin Sircar acquitted in 5 ACC cases after refunding Tk27.86 lakh
The court acquitted him of the corruption charges as he deposited Tk27.86 lakh to the state exchequer following a court judgment
Barrister Jamir Uddin Sircar, former speaker of Jatiya Sangsad, has been acquitted from five cases of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) after he returned Tk27,86,364 which was embezzled from the public sector.
Judge Pradeep Kumar Roy of Dhaka Special Judge Court-7 gave the discharge order on Sunday.
On 14 March, Barrister Jamir Uddin Sircar deposited the money in Sonali Bank Supreme Court branch according to the instructions of the Appellate Division. The court then fixed 9 July as the date for the order.
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On Sunday, the court acquitted Jamir Uddin Sircar from five cases in different orders, Jamir Uddin Sircar's lawyer Abdul Hannan told the media.
Barrister Jamir Uddin Sircar underwent heart treatment at Singapore's Mount Elizabeth Hospital from 26 January to 12 February 2006 while he was the speaker. After returning home from Singapore, he applied to the then-prime minister for permission to allocate Tk27,86,364 for his medical expenses.
The prime minister did not approve and ordered the National Parliament Secretariat to take action according to the law.
Later, the speaker decided to pay the bill using his authority. According to his decision, Md Ashraful Islam, the then-chief accounting officer of Jatiya Sangsad, paid the bill without taking the approval of the appropriate authorities.
ACC Deputy Director Md Moniruzzaman Khan and Deputy Assistant Director SM Khabiruddin filed five cases with Sherebangla Nagar police station on 28 December 2010, saying that these two have committed a crime by abusing the power and withdrawing money for the bill.
On 7 November 2012, ACC issued the charge sheet in five cases. Barrister Jamir Uddin applied to the High Court seeking the cancellation of these five cases. A High Court bench gave a separate decision which was later referred to another bench. That bench ruled that the case will continue.
When Jamir Uddin appealed against that verdict on 25 August last year, the Appellate Division cancelled five cases. However, the court asked Jamir Uddin to return the money to the state treasury.
The case against Ashraful Islam, the then chief accounting officer of the Jatiya Sangsad, another accused in these cases, is ongoing.
