SC scraps HC bail to Hallmark chairman

The Supreme Court (SC) on Sunday cancelled the High Court bail order granted to Hallmark Chairman Jasmine Islam who has been indicted in a bank scam case.

The HC also ordered the accused to surrender before the court within THE next four weeks.

An HC bench led by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain passed the order after an appeal hearing filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

Advocate Khurshid Alam Khan stood for the ACC, while Advocate Mansurul Haque Chowdhury and Advocate Abdul Latif argued for the accused.

On March 10 this year, the HC granted the bail to Jasmine Islam in a case lodged over the embezzlement of over Tk85.87 crore from state-owned Janata Bank, informed Advocate Khurshid while briefing the media at the SC premises.

Later, the ACC appealed with the Appellate Division against the HC order.

On November 1, 2016, the ACC filed the case with Motijheel Police Station accusing Jasmine and 15 others in the scam.

Jasmine, the wife of Hallmark Group Managing Director Tanvir Mahmud, was accused in charge sheets of all 11 cases filed on October 4 in 2012 by the ACC over misappropriation of more than Tk1,568 crore.

On July 11, 2018, a Dhaka court awarded Jasmine three years in jail in a case filed over failure to submit her wealth statement to the ACC within a stipulated time.