The High Court has directed to arrest four trustees of North South University (NSU) rejecting anticipatory bail in a case filed over financial misappropriation.
Besides, the court directed the Shahbag police station to produce the arrestees before court 24 hours after they are taken to custody.
The four trustees are Rehana Rahman, MA Kashem, Mohammed Shahjahan and Benazir Ahmed. An HC bench of justice Md. Nazrul Islam Talukder and justice Kazi Md. Ijarul Haque Akand passed the order on Sunday conducting hearing on their bail plea.
During the hearing the court said, money laundering and corruption are more dangerous crimes than murder. A homicide may harm an individual, a family or the society. But, money laundering and corruption can ruin an entire nation.
The Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) on 5 May filed a case against six people of the university including the trustee board chairman over amassing taka 303.82 crore illegally. Four of them filed application seeking anticipatory bail.
According to the case statement, the trustees approved a hefty amount for the NSU permanent campus by overstating the land price. Subsequently, the land developer deposited the extra money to the bank accounts of the accused, leading to the embezzlement.
The accused have unjustly benefited themselves by embezzling funds and have committed punishable offenses by exchanging commissions or bribes, states the case.
Money laundering also took place through the transfer and conversion of the embezzled amount, ACC claimed.
The anti-graft watchdog said it will also initiate separate inquiry to verify several allegations against NSU such as overcharging students, embezzlement of university funds in the name of fixed-deposit receipts, bribe for recruitments, car purchases by evading duties and availing numerous facilities unethically by the university top management.
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