BNP leaders Abbas, Alal arrested

Police arrested BNP Standing Committee Member Mirza Abbas and Joint Secretary General Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal from the capital on Tuesday.

Shamsuddin Didar, a press wing member of BNP, confirmed the matter. Two senior leaders of the opposition party were arrested around 8:15 p.m. on Tuesday.

Earlier, a Dhaka court on Tuesday issued an arrest warrant against Mirza Abbas after dismissing his time petition in a graft case filed against him in 2007.

The case was filed on charge of amassing wealth through illegal means and providing false information about wealth to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

Judge Monjurul Imam of Dhaka’s Special Judge Court-6 set November 2 for arguments from the prosecution, said ACC Public Prosecutor Mahmud Hossain Jahangir.

Earlier in the day, Advocate Mohi Uddin Chowdhury said Mirza Abbas’s absence was due to illness.

The prosecution, however’ opposed the defense pleas on grounds that the petitions were filed just to delay the trial proceedings.

Upon hearing both sides, the judge turned down the defense pleas and issued arrest warrants against the BNP leader.

The court recorded statements of 24 prosecution witnesses, including the complainant of the case.

The court framed charges against Mirza Abbas, also a former BNP minister, and his wife on June 16, 2008.

On August 16, 2007, the ACC filed the case with Ramna Police Station against Mirza Abbas and his wife Afroza Abbas for amassing wealth worth over Tk 5.67 crore beyond known sources of income and concealing wealth statement of Tk 23 lakh to the commission.