A Dhaka court has rejected the bail plea of Professor Nazmul Ahsan Kalimullah, former Vice Chancellor (VC) of Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur, who was arrested in a corruption case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Sabbir Foyez passed the order on Thursday (September 4) after hearing arguments from both the state and the defense.
The ACC had sought Kalimullah’s detention in jail after the end of his remand period. His defense, represented by Z I Khan Panna and Associates’ lawyers, Advocate Mohsin Reza, Advocate Mohima Bandhan, and Advocate Sadman Sakib, argued for his release on bail. However, the state opposed the plea, and the court ultimately rejected the bail application.
Kalimullah was arrested on August 7 by the Detective Branch (DB) Police from the Mohammadpur area in Dhaka. He was subsequently sent to jail on the same day. On August 27, the court granted a five-day remand for further questioning in the ongoing ACC investigation.
The ACC case, filed on June 18, accuses Kalimullah and four others of corruption and irregularities in a special development project at Begum Rokeya University. The other accused are former VC and project director A K M Nur-Un-Nabi, former executive engineer and tender evaluation committee member Md Jahangir Alam, and contractors Md. A. Salam Bachchu and M M Habibur Rahman.
According to the case statement, the accused colluded to commit criminal breach of trust by bypassing the university’s approved Development Project Proposal (DPP), altering project designs, and awarding contracts worth over 30 crore taka without proper approval from the relevant authorities. They are also accused of embezzling approximately 4 crore taka by depositing security money as Fixed Deposits (FDRs) and using those FDRs to facilitate bank loans for contractors.
The investigation further reveals that an advance payment was made to the contractor despite the contract not providing for such payments, and the bank guarantee was released before the payment was settled, violating financial regulations. Additionally, the case alleges that a second consulting firm was appointed in violation of procurement rules and that the tender evaluation process failed to properly assess the inflated price proposal.
The court’s decision to reject Kalimullah’s bail adds to the mounting legal pressure surrounding the case.