Shawdesh Desk: The High Court (HC) has upheld a trial court verdict that sentenced Awami League leader and Dhaka-7 lawmaker Haji Mohammad Salim to 10 year’s jail and fined him Tk 10 lakh in a graft case.

The HC bench of Justice Md Moinul Islam Chowdhury and Justice AKM Zahirul Huq passed the order on Tuesday.

Earlier on February 24, the HC set March 9 for delivering verdict on the appeal filed by Haji Mohammad Salim challenging his conviction. Lawyer Md Khurshid Alam Khan appeared at the hearing on behalf of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) while lawyer Sayeed Ahmed Raza stood for Haji Salim.

On October 24, 2007, the anti-graft body filed a case with Lalbagh Police Station in the capital against Haji Salim on charge of amassing illegal wealth.

A trial court sentenced him 13 years’ imprisonment on April 27, 2008 in connection with the graft case. Challenging the verdict, he appealed to the HC on October 25, 2009.

Later on January 2, 2011, the HC quashed Haji Salim’s sentence and acquitted him. But challenging the verdict, the ACC filed an appeal petition with the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court.

The Appellate Division on January 12, 2015 scrapped the HC judgment and directed the HC to rehear the Haji Salim’s appeal.