DHAKA: The High Court exonerated two former ministers--Anwar Hossain Manju and Mir Mohammad Nasir Uddin—from conviction on charges of corruption, overturning the rash justice of the emergency times.

An HC division bench scrapped the jail sentences against former minister Anwar Hossain Manju, also chairman of his faction of JP and Editor of The Daily Ittefaq, and former state minister Mir Mohammad Nasiruddin in one corruption case each.

The HC bench of Justice Syed Mohammad Dastagir Hossain and Justice Jahurul Haque Tuesday came up with the judgment after granting two separate appeals filed by Manju and Nasir.

On August 26 in 2008, a special court set up on the Parliament premises sentenced Manju to 13 years` imprisonment for amassing illegal wealth worth Tk 2 crore and concealing the information from the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) during a massive anti-graft drive.

Mir Nasir was also sentenced to 13 years in jail on a similar charge by another special court on July 4 in 2007.

Manju filed petition on February 14, 2009 and Nasir on November 13, 2007 with the High Court against the lower court’s verdicts.

After the HC verdict, Manjua’s lawyer, barrister Ahsanul Karim, told journalists, “ACC included Manju in its second list of corrupt elements during the last caretaker government’s rule. But the higher court acquitted him as the ACC could not prove the allegation against him (beyond doubt).”

BDST: 1730 HRS, AUG 10, 2010.