The High Court (HC) on Tuesday overturned a lower court judgement that convicted former BNP minister Shahjahan Siraj and sentenced him to 13-year imprisonment in a corruption case, adjudging the conviction against him illegal.

A special court, set up on the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban premises, on April 22, 2008 sentenced Shahjahan to 13-year imprisonment on charges of amassing wealth illegally and concealing the wealth information to the Anti-Corruption Commission.

An HC bench delivered the verdict after granting an appeal filed by Shahjahan in 2009 challenging the lower court judgement.

Of the jail terms Shajahan copped, 10 years' rigorous imprisonment was given for earning illegal income and three years' simple imprisonment for holding back information in the wealth statement to the ACC.

Shajahan, former jute and textile minister, will have to serve out his terms consecutively meaning he will have to be in jail for 13 years.

On September 24, 2007, ACC Assistant Director Khairul Huda filed the corruption case with Ramna Police Station against Shahjahan and his wife for concealing information about property worth around Tk 4 lakh.

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