BNP leader Hafiz Uddin secures bail in 12-yr-old case

Major (retd) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, a vice-chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), has been granted bail in a 12-year-old vandalism and arson case.

Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Mohammed Ash-Shams Joglul Hossain passed the order after hearing a petition that the BNP leader filed challenging his sentence, said additional public prosecutor (PP) Tapash Kumar Paul.

While talking to Prothom Alo, the additional PP said Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, who was in jail, filed the appeal petition with the metropolitan sessions judge’s court against the jail sentence, along with a bail plea.

The state argued against his request for bail. Hearing both sides, the court accepted the appeal petition for hearing and granted his bail as well.

A court sentenced Hafiz Uddin Ahmed to 21 months in jail on 28 December last year, in a case filed over vandalising vehicles and setting those on fire in 2011. The court issued an arrest warrant against him as he was not present at the dock during the verdict.

The BNP leader appeared before the chief metropolitan magistrate’s (CMM) court on 5 March and sought bail. But the court rejected his plea and sent him to jail.

His lawyer Aminul Islam told Prothom Alo that his client is sick as he underwent surgery on his knee.