A court has granted permission for the interrogation of Motazzerul Islam, widely known as Mithu, a contractor implicated in corruption within the health sector, by placing him on a five-day remand.
The order was issued on Thursday by Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Sabbir Foyez following a petition from the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in connection with a case filed by the agency.
Mithu was produced before the court from prison. The hearing was held on the ACC’s application seeking a 10-day remand for interrogation. During the hearing, the defence opposed the remand petition. After hearing both parties, the court granted a five-day remand.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) announced Mithu’s arrest on Thursday last. According to a DMP statement, Mithu, identified as the mastermind behind corruption in the health sector during the tenure of the previous Awami League government, was arrested by the Detective Branch (DB) in the early hours of 11 September from Gulshan.
At the request of the ACC, Mithu was handed over to the commission later the same day after his arrest.
He was produced before the court, where the ACC sought a 10-day remand for questioning.
On 18 September, the court had scheduled the hearing of the petition, sending Mithu to prison until then. The court has now approved his five-day remand.
On 10 September, the ACC confirmed its approval of a case against Mithu on charges of acquiring illegal wealth worth Tk 750 million (75 crore).
On the same day, ACC Deputy Director Md Saiduzzaman filed the case with the Commission’s Integrated District Office (Dhaka-1).