Appellate Division scraps Salim Prodhan’s candidature in Rupganj upazila polls

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Thursday scrapped a High Court order to return the candidature of Narayanganj’s Rupganj Upazila Parishad chairman candidate Salim Prodhan, a convict in a case over amassing illegal wealth and money laundering.

A full bench of the Appellate Division led by Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan passed the order after hearing a petition submitted by the convict earlier.

The court also fined the convict Tk10,000 for wasting the court's time.

Lawyer AKM Nurul Alam stood for Salim and Barrister Khan Mohammad Shammi Aziz and Barrister Ashfaqur Rahman for the Election Commission.

Salim submitted the nomination paper for vying the Upazila Parishad Election.

On April 23, the returning officer cancelled his nomination paper for being convicted in the money laundering and graft cases.

Later on April 28, the candidate appealed to Narayanganj Deputy Commissioner Md Manjurul Hafiz who also kept the cancellation order uncharged. 

Salim submitted a petition with the High Court seeking validity of his candidature and allotment of symbol on April 30.

After hearing, the High Court declared Salim’s candidature valid and ordered the Election Commission to provide him a symbol.

Challenging the High Cort order, another chairman candidate and Awami League leader Habibur Rahman submitted a petition to the Chamber Judge of the Appellate Division.

Chamber judge Justice M Enayetur Rahim stayed the High Court order for eight weeks.

Later, the convict filed an appeal to the regular and full bench of Appellate Division for withdrawal of the stay order.

During an anti-casino drive, Rapid Action Battalion arrested him from Dhaka airport while he was trying to leave for Thailand on September 30 in 2019.

Later, the RAB seized Tk1 crore in local and foreign currencies. Two of his accomplices, Akhtaruzzaman and Roman, were arrested from his Gulshan residence.

Forty-one bottles of foreign liquor, 12 passports, 32 cheques, a laptop, a desktop and five Master cards were also seized during the drives.

On October 1, a RAB mobile court sentenced Salim to six months jail for possessing two deer hides. Several cases were filed against him in this connection.

On April 30 last year, a Dhaka court sentenced him to eight years’ imprisonment in the illegal wealth amassing and money laundering case.

After securing bail from the High Court, the convict is now out of jail.