SC scraps acquittal of Ariful Chy

The Supreme Court yesterday scrapped a High Court verdict that had acquitted Ariful Haque Chowdhury, former mayor of Sylhet City Corporation, in a corruption case.

The Anti-Corruption Commission filed the case with Sylhet Police Station on September 9, 2007, against the BNP leader for allegedly amassing wealth worth over Tk 2.63 crore through graft and concealing information about it.

On June 23 the next year, a special judge's court in Sylhet sentenced him to 10 years' imprisonment.

Following an appeal by the BNP leader, the HC on April 9, 2013 acquitted Ariful of the corruption charges.

Apart from scrapping the verdict yesterday, the SC also asked the HC to hold further hearing, and dispose of the plea challenging the lower court judgment against the BNP leader.

 A three-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Justice Nazmun Ara Sultana passed the orders after hearing a leave-to-appeal petition, challenging the HC verdict, by the ACC.

ACC's counsel Khurshid Alam Khan told The Daily Star that the apex court came up with the orders after accepting his arguments that the HC verdict was not correct since the court did not properly consider the corruption allegations brought against Ariful and relevant evidence in the case.     

Lawyer AM Aminuddin appeared for the former mayor during yesterday's hearing.

Ariful is in jail in former finance minister SASM Kibria murder case.