ACC challenges acquittal of BNP’s DSCC mayor candidate Ishraque in graft case

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) today filed an appeal petition against a Dhaka court order that acquitted BNP mayoral candidate for Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Ishraque Hossain.

The appeal petition was put on the cause list of the HC bench of Justice Md Salim today, said Khurshid Alam Khan, ACC lawyer.

ACC Assistant Director Shamsul Alam filed two cases with Ramna Police Station on August 29 and 30, 2010 against Ishraqueand his sister Sarika Sadeque.

They are both children of former mayor of undivided Dhaka City Corporation and BNP leader late Sadeque Hossain Khoka.

According to the case statements, during a primary inquiry into the wealth of Ishraque and Sarika, the ACC found that they acquired wealth worth about Tk five crore beyond known sources of income.

On September 1, 2008, it asked them to submit their wealth statement within seven days which they failed to do.

As per the ACC findings, Ishraque has illegal wealth worth about Tk three crore while Sarika possesses wealth worth about Tk two crore.

ACC Deputy Director Jahangir Hossain, also investigation officer of the case, submitted the charge-sheet against Ishraque on December 6, 2018.

On May 5 last year, a court issued a warrant for Ishraque's arrest after accepting charges against him in his absence.

Ishraque surrendered before the court on December 9, 2019 and secured bail in the case.

On January 14, 2020, a Dhaka court framed charges against Ishraque.

On December 23, 2020, Judge Sheikh Nazmul Alam of Dhaka-4 Special Judge Court acquitted Ishraque in the case.