In a major development, the High Court (HC) yesterday handed over suspended Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Md Mizanur Rahman to the police after he appeared before it for anticipatory bail in connection with a graft case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

During the hearing, the HC bench said DIG Mizan has completely destroyed the image of police as well as the country. It was seen on TV that he (DIG Mizan) made a desperate statement on paying bribe to an Anti-Corruption Commission official, the court said.

After summarily rejecting the bail plea of DIG Mizan, the HC bench comprising Justice Obaidul Hassan and Justice SM Kuddus Zaman ordered the police authorities to arrest him and produce the suspended police officer before the senior special judge’s court in Dhaka within 24 hours without fail.

At the same time, the HC bench summarily rejected another anticipatory bail petition of suspended DIG Mizanur’s nephew Mahmudul Hasan, a sub-inspector (SI) of police, in connection with the same case and directed him (Mahmudul) to surrender to the trial court within 72 hours.

In its order the HC bench said, “The accused petitioner Md Mizanur Rahman has surrendered before this court and prayed for anticipatory bail under section 498 of the code of Criminal Procedure in connection with a case filed by Anti-Corruption Commission under sections 26(2)/ 27(1) of the Anti-Corruption Commission Ain, 2004 read with sections 4 (2) (3) of Money Laundering Protirodh Ain, 2012 and section 109 of Penal Code, now pending with the Court Metropolitan Sessions Judge and Senior Special Judge, Dhaka. The petitioner is identified by his engaged lawyer.”

The HC order also said, “We have heard the learned advocates and perused the application. Considering facts and circumstances, we are not inclined to enlarge the accused petitioner on pre-arrest anticipatory bail. Thus, the application is rejected summarily.

Accordingly, the accused petitioner Md Mizanur Rahman, son of Ali Akbor Mia, will go to custody, it said.

“The Deputy Commissioner, Ramna Division, Dhaka Metropolitan Police, Dhaka shall take necessary step to arrest the accused petitioner Md Mizanur Rahman and to produce him before the Metropolitan Senior Special Judge, Dhaka within 24 hours without fail,” the HC order said.

During day’s proceedings of the court, while DIG Mizan bail plea came for hearing in the cause list Advocate Momtaz Uddin Ahmed Mehedi, counsel for him, sought time saying that senior lawyer Advocate M Amin Uddin would take part in the hearing and he is coming to court.

After that, the HC bench kept the petition pending for some time and started to hear the other petitions.

After some time, the HC asked the lawyer to take part in the hearing. But, Advocate Mehedi sought another five minutes saying that senior lawyer Advocate Yusuf Hossain Humayun will take part in the hearing along with M Amin Uddin.

Then, the HC bench wanted to know about their position and said that the court could not wait for this petition as it has a lot of work.  

However, the HC bench once again started the day proceedings. During the proceedings, Advocate M Amin Uddin took part in the hearing of another case and started to come out from the court.

Then, the HC bench asked Advocate M Amin Uddin whether he would take part in the hearing on DIG Mizan bail petition. M Amin Uddin replied ‘no’ saying that he was not the engaged lawyer for the case.  Then, Advocate Mehedi requested the court to keep the petition pending for not today.  The HC bench denied to keep the petition in pending and asked the lawyer to submit his argument before the court. Advocate Mehedi then told the court that DIG Mizanur Rahman is a top ranking police officer and he is very honest.

“He (Mizan) was awarded gold medal while he was an additional commissioner of police for his courageous role to prevent extremism and terrorism,” Advocate Mehedi added. He also read out from the first information of the case and said that the inconsistency of his known source of income and his wealth is very little and he might be granted bail. Advocate Mehedi also said that his client (Mizan) will not leave the country if he is granted bail in the case and he will face trial.  But, the HC bench commented that Mizanur Rahman has completely destroyed the image of the police department as well as the country by his activities.

It has been seen on the televisions that he confessed to giving bribe to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) official, Justice Obaidul Hassan said.

After the HC order, Advocate Khurshid Alam Khan, counsel for the ACC, told reporters that it is a rare incident that a high ranking police official has been arrested from the High Court during the hearing on the bail petition.

After scrutinizing all document, the HC bench asked police to arrest him and produce before the court within 24 hours. Now, it is a massage for the society following the High Court verdict that the court is maintaining zero tolerance against corruption, the ACC lawyer noted.

After the HC order, the DC of Ramna Division and the OC of Shahbagh police station came in the court and stayed inside the courtroom for about one and half hours and took DIG Mizan at Shahbagh police station in accordance with the HC order.

ACC Director Monjur Morshed filed the case on June 24 against Mizanur, his wife Sohelia Anar Ratna, brother Mahbubur Rahman and nephew and police sub-inspector Mahmudul Hasan for concealing information about wealth of Taka 3.7 crore and amassing illegal wealth of Taka 3.28 crore.

Mizanur grabbed the media attention for all the wrong reasons, as he was first accused of harassing and torturing a woman. ACC later launched investigation against him over allegations of graft.

Mizanur later leaked a couple audio clips, saying he has given Taka forty lakh as bribe to ACC director Khandaker Enamul Basir to suppress the graft allegations brought against him.

Mizanur was an additional commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police. He was withdrawn on January 9, 2018 following the allegation that he had threatened a woman news presenter of a private television channel.

He also reportedly married a woman forcibly and tortured her. Mizan allegedly picked up the 25-year-old woman in July 2017 and then forcibly married her.

UNB adds: the ACC yesterday summoned the

bodyguard and the driver of Mizanur Rahman for

interrogation over the bribery scandal. Bodyguard Hridoy Hasan and driver Saddam Hossain were asked to appear at the ACC headquarters on July 7 to face the grilling, ACC public relations officer Pranab Kumar Bhattacharya said.

Meanwhile, the ACC yesterday again sent a letter to its suspended director Khandaker Enamul Basir asking himto appear before it on July 10 for interrogation over the bribery scam.