Accused brought to court on stretcher, advised to continue treatment

Former bank official Ruhul Amin Palash was brought to a Dhaka court by ambulance from Magura on Tuesday and taken into the courtroom on a stretcher to surrender in a case filed over the alleged embezzlement of Tk4 crore.

Palash, a resident of Mohammadpur in Magura, appeared before Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Shahjahan Kabir and sought bail in the case.

Considering his physical condition, the court advised him to continue his medical treatment, said his lawyer Md Ramzan Ali Ripon.

The defence lawyer said Palash was suffering from a neurological disorder and had become paralysed, with the lower part of his body remaining numb. He cannot perform his daily activities without assistance, he said.

During the hearing, the court observed that if Palash were sent to jail in his present condition, he would have to be kept in a hospital or prison hospital, Ramzan Ali said.

“We then requested the court to allow us to withdraw the surrender petition and sought time for his treatment. We said we would surrender him again after his health improves,” he said.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the case on 21 September 2023 against five people over the alleged embezzlement of Tk4 crore through forgery and fraud from the Bakshiganj branch of The Farmers Bank Limited, now Padma Bank Limited, in Jamalpur.

The accused are former chairman of Padma Bank’s audit committee Mahbubul Haque Chisty, his daughter Rimi Chisty, former assistant officer Fakhruzzaman, former trainee assistant officer Ruhul Amin Palash and Kamruzzaman.

Following an investigation, the ACC submitted a charge sheet on 6 October last year.

The court later took cognisance of the charge sheet on 15 January and issued arrest warrants against the absconding accused, including Ruhul Amin Palash.