Dhaka, Jan 28 (UNB) – The High Court on Monday summoned four individuals including a representative of Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) director to appear before it on February 3, to explain why a wrong person had been languishing in jail for last three years in 33 cases.
The four summoned officials were a representative selected by the ACC director, representatives from Home and Law Ministry and plaintiff of the cases.
A bench of Justice FRM Nazmul Ahasan and Justice KM Kamrul Kader passed the suo moto order following a newspaper report under a headline “Wrong accused in jail in 33 cases: Sir I am Jahlam, not Salek.”
Supreme Court lawyer Amit Das Gupta placed the news report before the High Court.
The court also issued a rule seeking explanation as to why the wrong accused will not be excused from the case and why measures will not be taken to free him from jail.
Secretaries of Home Ministry, Law Ministry, ACC Chairman, ACC DG (Law), plaintiff of case, National Human Right Commission Chairman, IG Prison, Managing Director of Sonali Bank were asked to respond to the rule.
The report said Jahlam, a jute mill worker, has been serving in jail in place of real accused Abu Salek in 33 cases of embezzling Tk 18 crore from Sonali Bank.
Jahlam’s will be completing 3 years in jail on February 6 and now ACC’s investigation found Jahlam innocent in one case and he secured bail in one case while waiting to get bail in rest of the cases.
The whole thing started five years back when a letter of ACC reached Jahlam’s house in Tangail asking him to appear before it at 9:30 am on December 18, 2014.
The letter also said Jahlam has embezzled Tk 18 crore from Sonali Bank using fake voucher.
