The Appellate Division upheld the High Court bail to former minister and Awami League leader Abdul Latif Siddiqui in a corruption case filed in Bogura on Sunday (Nov 17).

A four-member Appellate Division bench led by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain passed the order and rejected the leave to appeal petition filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

There is no legal bar to Latif Siddiqui to get released from jail following the order, said his lawyer Monsurul Haque Chowdhury.

Earlier on November 11, the top court stayed a six-month interim bail granted by the High Court on Nov 4.

On Nov 4, the High Court has granted five-month interim bail to former textiles and jute minister Abdul Latif Siddique in a graft case filed over misuse of power and corruption in selling a state-owned property.

According to the prosecution, Siddique had abused his power as the jute and textiles minister and sold 2.38 acres of land at Ranirnagar Bazar in Adamdighi upazila to one Jahanara in 2011 — flouting the rule of selling government land after floating tenders.

By selling the land at Tk 2.39 million instead of the original market price of at least Tk 6.46 million, Siddique made a criminal breach of trust and incurred a loss of over Tk 4 million to the state exchequer.

On Feb 18, the ACC filed the charge sheet against the two, at the district’s Senior Judicial Magistrate’s Court.