No bar on continuing criminal cases against Evaly CEO, chairman

The High Court has cleared the way for continuing trial proceedings of all criminal cases against Evaly Founder and CEO Mohammad Rassel and Chairman Shamima Nasrin after it rejected a petition seeking stay order on the cases.

The HC bench of Justice Khizir Ahmed Chowdhury passed the order on Tuesday (20 June).

Advocate Ahsanul Karim moved for Evaly while Barrister Syed Mahshib Hossain represented customers of the controversial e-commerce platform. 

"There was no legal bar for the lower courts to continue trial of criminal cases against Rassel and Shamima following the HC order," Barrister Syed Mahshib Hossain said.

The lawyer said hundreds of cases were filed across the country against them on charges of providing fake cheques and commitments to customers.

Evaly Chairman Shamima Nasrin is currently on bail while Rassel is in jail.

Launched on 16 December 2018, Evaly sold dreams of becoming the Amazon or Alibaba of Bangladesh. Riding high on a dangerous business model which offered eye-watering, but eventually undeliverable, discounts, Evaly quickly gathered a legion of customers.

They began taking advance payments, initially delaying deliveries before failing to send products entirely.

On 15 September 2021, the Evaly customer filed the embezzlement case against Mohammad Rassel and his wife Shamima Nasrin.

The Rapid Action Battalion arrested Rassel and Shamima during a raid of their residence in the capital's Mohammadpur area the day after the case was filed.

On 6 April last year, Shamima Nasrin was freed from jail on bail.