Staff Reporter:
The Appellate Division on Thursday upheld the High Court order granting bail to GK Shamim, a government contractor who gained infamy during the ‘casino raids’ in late 2019, in a case filed under the Arms Act.
A five-member bench of the Appellate Division led by Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan passed the order after rejecting a petition seeking the cancellation of his bail.
The SC also asked the HC bench concerned to dispose of the cases within two months.
On December 13, the High Court granted bail to GK Shamim in the case.
An HC bench of Justice SM Abdul Momin and Justice Mahmud Hossain Talukder passed the order after hearing a bail petition.
GK Shamim, who was known as an influential contractor of the Sabujbagh, Basabo and Motijheel areas of the capital, was arrested on September 20, 2019.
Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) members seized illegal firearms and Fixed Deposit Receipts worth Tk 165 crore, Tk 1.8 crore in cash and foreign currencies from his house and office at Niketan.
The elite force lodged three cases – one under narcotics control, one under money-laundering prevention and another under arms acts – against Shamim with Gulshan Police Station on September 21.
In October 2019, Rab filed a chargesheet against the accused in the arms case.
The official trial proceeding in the case began on February 28, 2023, after the court framed charges against the eight accused including Shamim rejecting an appeal for acquittal.
On September 25, 2023, a Dhaka court sentenced eight people, including Shamim to life term imprisonment in the arms case.
On July 17, another Dhaka court sentenced GK Shamim to 10 years of imprisonment in a money laundering case. He has been in jail since his arrest.
