President of the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) and former information minister Hasanul Haq Inu on Sunday expressed concern over his safety while being held in an overcrowded court lock-up during a hearing in a graft case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
He made the claim through his lawyer during a hearing at the Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge’s Court, where the ACC’s application to show him as arrested in the case was granted.
“He was kept with around 50 other accused in the lock-up after being brought to court around 9am. This poses a serious security risk,” said defence lawyer Mohammad Selim, urging the court to consider separate lock-ups for high-profile or VIP detainees.
Presiding Judge Zakir Hossain Galib responded, saying, “Ensuring the accused’s safety is the responsibility of the police. We don’t want to bring accused individuals to court unnecessarily, but the system hasn’t been digitised yet. We’re still stuck in the old procedural framework.”
The judge voiced frustration over the judiciary’s lack of modernisation, noting that many ministers and MPs during the Awami League’s tenure were former lawyers, including the law minister, yet the legal system saw no meaningful progress under their leadership.
While in the dock, Inu criticised the ACC, stating, “The details of the case have already been widely reported in the media. The ACC is conducting a media trial even before the court proceedings have begun.”
Judge Galib interrupted him, saying, “You will have a chance to speak later. Today’s hearing is solely about showing that you have been arrested.”
During the session, ACC Public Prosecutor Mahmud Hossain Jahangir supported the plea to show Inu as arrested in the case. Following the hearing, the court approved the request.
As Inu exited the courtroom, he thanked the judge for holding the session in an air-conditioned environment.
According to the ACC case statement, Inu is accused of illegally amassing wealth worth Tk4.84 crore, inconsistent with his known sources of income. He is also alleged to have laundered Tk11.88 crore through suspicious transactions across four bank accounts—funds believed to have originated from bribery and corruption.
The case was filed on 16 March by ACC Assistant Director Md Mehedi Munshi Jebin under the Anti-Corruption Commission Act, 2004; the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947; and the Money Laundering Prevention Act, 2012.
LND/SAE
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