The Supreme Court on Thursday acquitted BNP leaders Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku, Mir Mohammad Nasiruddin, and Mir Mohammad Helaluddin in separate corruption cases filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
A six-member bench of the Appellate Division, headed by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed, handed down the verdicts, accepting their criminal appeals and cancelling the High Court (HC) sentences previously issued against them.
Senior advocates Zainul Abedin, Md Ruhul Quddus Kazal, and Ragib Rouf Chowdhury represented the defence, while Advocate Shahin Ahmed appeared on behalf of the ACC.
Case Against Mir Nasiruddin and Mir Helaluddin
On March 6, 2007, the ACC filed a case with Gulshan Police Station against Mir Mohammad Nasiruddin, former state minister and BNP vice-chairman, and his son, Mir Mohammad Helaluddin, BNP’s assistant organising secretary.
The case involved allegations of illegal wealth accumulation and concealment of property information.
On July 4, 2007, a special judge court sentenced Nasiruddin to 13 years and Helaluddin to 3 years in prison. Although the High Court later overturned these convictions on appeal, the ACC challenged the acquittals.
Following a fresh hearing, the HC upheld the original verdicts, prompting the father-son duo to file a leave-to-appeal petition with the Supreme Court. The apex court accepted their petition on March 17, 2025.
Case Against Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku
In a separate case, ACC Deputy Director Shahriar Chowdhury filed charges against former State Minister for Power Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku in March 2007, accusing him of concealing assets worth Tk 4.96 crore and failing to disclose the sources of income.
The case was filed with Mohammadpur Police Station.
On November 15, 2007, a trial court sentenced Tuku to nine years in prison.
Later, he appealed to the High Court, which acquitted him on June 15, 2011.
However, the ACC challenged this decision, and on January 21, 2014, the Appellate Division overturned the acquittal and ordered a retrial. Tuku’s subsequent review petition was also rejected.
On July 26, 2023, the High Court directed Tuku to surrender within 15 days of receiving the verdict. When he failed to comply by the September 11 deadline, a warrant was issued for his arrest.
