Dhaka: The High Court on Wednesday summoned two judges and public prosecutor of Dhaka to appear before it to explain bail granted to the accused in the Parag abduction and Hall-Mark loan scam cases.

The court asked District and Session’s Judge M Abdul Majid and Senior Special Judge M Zahurul Haque of Dhaka to appear before it on February 18 while PP Abdul Mannan on February 20 to explain the bail.

An HC bench comprising Justice Shamsuddin Chowdhury and Mahmudul Haque also issued a rule upon the government to explain in one week as to why the bail granted to five accused in the Parag abduction case should not be scrapped.

The orders and rule came following a writ petition filed by Nazim Ahmed, editor of the weekly ‘Saptaporno’.

Parag Mondal, a six-year-old KG I student of Heed International School of the capital’s Sadarghat, was picked up by a gang of four gunmen on the morning of November 11 at Shubhadda Paschimpara in Keraniganj.

The miscreants also shot and injured his mother Lipi Rani Mondal, 35, sister Pinaki Mondal, 11, and their car driver Nazrul Islam, 35, during the kidnapping.

The kidnapers set Parag free after reportedly taking a ransom of Tk 50 lakh on November 13.

Police arrested 11 people in connection with the sensational incident after Rabitri Mondal, paternal grandmother of Parag, filed a case with local thana.

Meanwhile, five of the accused, including Jubo League leader Aminul Haque Jewel alias Molla Jewel, secured bail from the court of Judge M Abdul Majid on different dates from January 2 to February 7.

During writ hearing on Wednesday, the HC court said if the judge is to be summoned to explain bail to the accused in the Parag abduction case, the judge has to be summoned in the Hall-Mark loan scandal case for granting bail to the group chairman Jesmin Islam.

Later, the court summoned Judge M Zahurul Haque.

On February 11, the same HC bench asked the judge to send all the documents of 11 cases filed in connection with the Hall-Mark scandal to the High Court by February 14.

Directing the authorities concerned to take necessary steps so that Hall-Mark group chairman Jesmin Islam cannot leave the country, the court had court also issued a rule upon the government to explain in seven days as to why the bail granted to Jesmin by a lower court should not be scrapped.

On February 7, Judge M Zahurul Haque granted bail to Jesmin, wife of Hall-Mark Group managing director Tanvir Mahmud, for one and a half months in the cases on condition that the Tk 2,600 crore swindled by the group from Sonali Bank’s Ruposhi Bangla Hotel branch would be repaid.

On Oct 4, 2012, the ACC filed the 11 cases against 27 people, including seven Hall-Mark officials, following the publication of the scandal in different media. Twenty Sonali Bank officials were among the accused. 

Sonali Bank’s Ruposhi Bangla Hotel branch lent Tk 3,606 crore to the Hall-Mark Group, T and Brothers, Paragon Group, Nakshi Knit, DN Sports and Khanjahan Ali violating banking rules. Of the amount, Hall-Mark alone swindled Tk 2,686 crore.

Jesmin was arrested from her relative’s house in Manikganj on October 17 last year. She was released from jail recently after securing bail in all the cases.

Ends/AMA/13/02/13