HC questions lower court bail for MP Papul’s wife, daughter

The High Court today questioned a lower court order that granted bail to the wife and daughter of lawmaker Mohammad Shahid Islam alias Kazi Papul in a Tk 148.41 crore money laundering case.

The HC issued a rule asking Papul's wife Selina Islam and daughter Wafa Islam and the state to explain in 10 days why the lower court order granting them bail in the case should not be scrapped.

The bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Mohi Uddin Shamim came up with the rule following a petition filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) challenging the lower court order of bail.

The ACC recently filed the petition with the HC saying that there are specific allegations against Selina Islam and Wafa Islam of illegally earning huge amount of money and laundering it.

The lower court has committed an error by granting them bail, the commission said in the petition.

Lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan appeared for the ACC while Deputy Attorney General AKM Amin Uddin Manik represented the state during hearing of the ACC's petition.

A Dhaka court on December 27 last year granted bail to Selina Islam, also a lawmaker, and Wafa Islam in the case after they surrendered to it in line with a HC order.