The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a High Court order granting interim bail to expelled Juba League leader and controversial contractor SM Ghulam Kibria Shamim, also known as GK Shamim, who has been serving life-term imprisonment for possessing illegal arms.
The five-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Obaidul Hasan also asked the High Court to dispose of Shamims appeal against his jail term within two months.
The apex court came up with the order after disposing of a petition filed by the government challenging the High Court that granted Shamim bail on December 13 in 2023.
Barrister Fida M Kamal, counsel for GK Shamim, told reporters that his client would not get release from jail as he was in jail in two other cases.
On September 20, 2019 the Rapid Action Battalion arrested Shamim, also the owner of construction firm GK Builders at his Niketan office on charges of extortion and tender manipulation and seized a licenced pistol, ammunition, five bottles of wines, Tk 2 crore in cash and fixed deposit receipt of about Tk 165 crore.
At least four cases were filed with Gulshan Police Station against Shamim under Arms Act, Narcotics Control Act, Money Laundering Prevention Act and illegal wealth possession.
The Dhaka Metropolitan Additional Sessions Judge Court-3 on September 25, 2022 sentenced GK Shamim and seven of his bodyguards to life in jail in an arms case.
The Dhaka Special Judge Court-10 later on July 17 in 2023 sentenced GK Shamim to 10 years in prison on charges of laundering Tk 195 crore.
GK Shamim was a top contractor of government projects and laundered the money to Singapore and Malaysia, according to the prosecution.
