BNP MP from Chapainawabganj Haroon ar Rashid was granted interim bail for six months by the High Court. The court also kept the fine of Taka 50 lakh withheld. Earlier he was convicted on charge of selling car imported under the duty free quota.
On Monday (Oct.28) the High Court bench of Justice Md. Shawkat Hossain granting his appeal against five year jail passed the order of bail of Haroon ar Rashid.
Barrister Mahbubuddin Khokon and lawyer Syed Mizanur Rahman did the hearing of bail. They were assisted by the wife of Haroon ar Rashid and lawyer Syeda Asifa Ashrafi Papia. ACC was represented by lawyer Md. Khurshid Alom Khan.
On last October 21 (Monday) the judge Shaikh Nazmul Alom of Special Judges Court 4 of Dhaka convicted Haroon ar Rashid to suffer imprisonment for five years for evading government tax for selling his imported duty free car before the expiry of the dead line. He was also fined Taka 50 lakh in default to suffer imprisonment for another six months.
Besides MP Haroon, the court also convicted fugitive accused Enayetur Rahman Bappi (MD of Chanel 9) to suffer two years imprisonment and a fine of Taka one lakh in default to suffer two months simple imprisonment and another accused Ishtiaq Sadek to suffer three years imprisonment and a fine of Taka 40 lakh, in default to suffer another six months simple imprisonment.
After the delivery of verdict MP Haroon ar Rashid was sent to Keranignaj prison. The court also issued warrant of arrest against the two fugitive convicts.
During the regime of the Four party alliance government in 2005 MP Haroon imported one Hammer brand SUV from UK under duty free quota as parliament member. He later sold the SUV car to accused Ishtiaq Sadek at Taka 98 lakhs. Next Sadek sold it to Bappi, MD of Channel 9.
According to rules, none can transfer the duty free car before three years. But MP Haroon violated the rule. To this allegation on March 7 of 2007, SI of Tejgaon police station Yunus Ali filed a case against the three including MP Haroon ar Rashid.
Charge sheet of the case was submitted on July 18 of 2007. Charges were framed against them in the same year. Seventeen witnesses made deposition against them on different occasions in this case.