For the first time since her detention 11 months ago, former Education Minister Dr. Dipu Moni addressed the court during a hearing at the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court on Wednesday.
Seated with her head down in the accused box before the hearing began, she stood up and saluted the judge when he entered just before 1pm. Later, Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Public Prosecutor Mir Ahmed Ali Salam told the court that Dipu Moni had been charged under the Money Laundering Prevention Act for allegedly amassing Tk5 crore in unexplained wealth. The prosecution sought to formally show her arrest in the case.
Requesting permission to speak, Dipu Moni told the court: Your Honour, I have been in prison for 11 months. I read in a newspaper that I have 28 bank accounts with transactions amounting to crores of taka. That is simply not true.
She claimed that she is a regular taxpayer and all of her income and expenditure records for the past 15 years are properly submitted. “The claim of 28 accounts is entirely baseless,” she said. “I have only six accounts, and two of them are inactive.”
The former minister also expressed frustration with what she called a lack of access to legal counsel and case documents. “There are 70 cases against me, but I’ve only been allowed to speak to my lawyer twice in 11 months. I feel I am being kept in the dark,” she told the court.
She added, “It takes a lifetime to earn a good name but just two minutes to ruin it. I want to fight my case, and for that, I need access to documents. Information is my strength.”
Her lawyers echoed these concerns, stating that they have not been provided with proper documentation and are struggling to secure regular prison visits.
In response, the judge said, “That should not be the case,” and assured that legal rights must be upheld.
After a 45-minute hearing, the court granted the ACC’s request to show Dipu Moni arrested in the money laundering case. She was taken back to Kashimpur Women’s Prison by prison van shortly before 2:30pm, sitting silently on a bench with her head lowered.
Her lawyer Faisal Ghazi noted, “This is the first time she has spoken in court since her arrest.”
Meanwhile, prison authorities disputed Dipu Moni’s claims.
Senior Jail Superintendent Kawalin Nahar of Kashimpur Women’s Central Jail said that any prisoner with proper proof of legal representation is allowed to meet with their lawyer. She said there was no reason why Dipu Moni would be treated differently.