ACC's notification for wealth statement of Hasina illegel: HC

Dhaka, Nov 22 (UNI) The Bangladesh High Court has declared illegal the Anti-Corruption Commission's notification asking for the wealth statement of Awami League president and detained former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

The High Court bench of Justices Shah Abu Nayeem Mominur Rahman and Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury delivered the verdict yesterday after hearing a writ petition filed by Ms Hasina, challenging the commission's notification issued on her July 17 , the New Age reported today. The ACC may appeal against the High Court verdict.

In the verdict, the court observed that the commission did not follow due process of law in notifying the former prime minister.

According to the law, the commission, after conducting preliminary inquiries, has to be sanguine that a person is possessing wealth beyond his/her known sources of income before asking the person concerned to submit wealth report, the court pointed out adding that no such inquiry was conducted before notifying Hasina.

''It is not a big issue. There was nothing wrong in notifying Sheikh Hasina. We are not disheartened with the High Court verdict. It is a legal matter and we will face it in legal process,'' ACC chairman Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury told reporters yesterday at the commission headquarters.

UNI