Haji Selim sent to jail

A court in Dhaka on Sunday ordered to send ruling Awami League MP Haji Mohammad Salim, convicted of 10 years’ imprisonment in a graft case, to jail on surrender.

Dhaka Special Judge’s Court-7 Judge Shahidul Islam passed the order within 20 minutes of hearing.

The Awami League lawmaker appeared in the court at about 3:05 pm today seeking conditional bail and the hearing on the plea started at 3:20 pm.

His lawyer Sri Pran Nath filed the bail plea this morning on behalf of Haji Salim in the court.

Haji Salim, who was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment in a graft case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission, went to Bangkok for treatment purpose on May 2 and returned home on May 5 that sparked huge controversy.

On February 10, the full text of the High Court’s verdict was published upholding his 10-year imprisonment.

The HC asked him to surrender to the trial court within 30 days of receiving the verdict.

The HC directed the trial court to cancel the bail order of the MP and issue an arrest warrant against him if he does not surrender within the given time.

ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam said, “After this verdict Haji Selim has lost the eligibility to remain an MP according to the article 66 (2) of the Constitution.”

On March 9 last year, HC bench of Justice Md Moinul Islam Chowdhury and Justice AKM Zahirul Huq upheld the lower court order sentencing to 10 years jail after hearing a petition by the ACC.

At the same time, the Dhaka-7 MP was acquitted of a three-year jail term in the same case filed by the ACC for concealing wealth information.

The HC also reduced the fine imposed on Salim by half to Tk 10 lakh. He will have to spend one more year in jail if he fails to pay the fine.

In 2007, the ACC filed the case against Salim. On April 27, 2008, a Dhaka court jailed him for 13 years and fined Tk 20 lakh.

Salim moved the High Court against the verdict.

In 2011, the court overturned his sentence but the ACC later appealed against the lower court verdict.

Later, the Appellate Division asked the High Court to re-hear the petition.

Irregularities of Salim resurfaced after his son Irfan Selim was arrested for assaulting a navy official in 2020.