Shawdesh desk:

The Appellate Division on Sunday upheld a High Court directive that had earlier asked the authorities to inquire into alleged corruption and money laundering of the government’s funds by Bangladesh Football Federation high-ups.

An Appellate Division bench chaired by chief justice Hasan Foez Siddique passed the order.

The Appellate Division also upheld its status quo on another High Court order halting the probe  relating to corruption and misuse of FIFA funds by the Bangladesh Football Federation high-ups.

The High Court on May 15 asked the youth, sports secretary, the ACC’s chairman, the National Board of Revenue’s chairman, the chief of the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit,  and the Criminal Investigation Department’s chief to hold inquiries over the allegation of misuse of government and FIFA funds by BFF officials.

The Appellate Division  passed the order disposing of a joint petition filed by BFF president Kazi Salahuddin and its senior vice-president, Abdus Salam Murshedy, challenging the High Court’s order for a probe into the allegations.

Following Sunday’s order from the Appellate Division, the authorities can now only probe into allegations of misuse of government funds but not misuse of FIFA funds, Murshedy’s lawyer AM Amin Uddin  said.

Amin, also the attorney general, argued in court that the allegations of misuse of FIFA funds should be halted as FIFA itself was investigating into the matter.

Amin said that FIFA suspended Bangladesh Football Federation general secretary Abu Nayeem Shohag from football for two years, and his appeal against the suspension was still pending with FIFA.

ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan opposed the prayer to halt the inquiry, claiming that the allegations against BFF high-ups, which included misappropriation of funds, misuse of funds, and failure in the procurement process, were very serious.

On May 15, the HC ordered the probe after hearing a writ petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer Syed Syedul Haque in public interest.

The court also asked the government authorities to explain in four weeks why their failure to initiate an inquiry into corruption, money laundering, and misappropriation of funds by BFF president Kazi Salahuddin, senior vice-president Abdus Salam Murshedy, and the federation’s general secretary Abu Nayeem Shohag would not be declared illegal.

The Appellate Division’ chamber judge  earlier  asked the government and the Anti-Corruption Commission to maintain a status quo on the ACC’s ongoing probe relating to corruption and misuse of FIFA funds by BFF high-ups.