The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Sunday stayed the trial proceedings of a corruption case filed against former BNP lawmaker Hafiz Ibrahim in 2007 on charges of misappropriating relief goods.
A three-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Justice Md Ashfaqul Islam also allowed Hafiz to move an appeal against a High Court verdict that ordered a lower court concerned to resume the trial proceedings in the case.
The stay order will continue till disposal of the appeal, Anti-Corruption Commission's (ACC) lawyer Ashif Hassan said.
In 2007, police recovered a huge amount of corrugated tin from Hafiz Ibrahim College in Bhola, which was sanctioned to be distributed as relief items.
After the recovery, Zaki Uddin, upazila project implementation officer, filed the case and later it was transferred to the ACC.
In 2013, HC stayed the trial against Hafiz and issued a rule asking the ACC and the government to explain why the proceedings should not be scrapped.
The HC on November 11, 2018 lifted its 2013 stay order and also directed a Barishal court to resume the trial proceedings of the case. In 2019, Hafiz filed the leave to appeal petition with the SC challenging the HC verdict.
Barrister AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon appeared for Hafiz during hearing of the petition.
