Latif Siddique’s graft case stayed at HC

The High Court (HC) has stayed for six months the corruption case filed against former textiles and jute minister Abdul Latif Siddique on charge of misuse of power in selling a government property.

An HC bench of Justice Obaidul Hasan and Justice AKM Jahirul Haque passed the order on Wednesday.

Lawyer Jeyad Al Malum stood for Latif Siddique while Advocate Khurshid Alam Khan moved for the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) during hearing in the court.

According to the case statement, one Jahanara Rashid leased a piece of land in Adamdighi upazila, owned by Bangladesh Jute Corporation, for three years at Tk 1.2 lakh per year on May 13, 2010.

In spite of getting repeated order from the textiles and jute ministry to pay rent for the land, Jahanara applied to the ministry to purchase the land on November 13, 2011.

Later, then textiles and jute minister Latif Siddique, without floating any formal tender, sold the land to Jahanara at Tk 23.94 lakh although its market price was Tk 64.63 lakh, resulting in a loss of Tk 40.69 lakh.

Following the incident, the ACC on October 17, 2017 filed the case against Latif and Jahanara under the Penal Code and section 5(2) of the Anti-Corruption Commission Act-1947.

Dhaka/Mahidi/AI