Dhaka: The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Sunday quashed a High Court order that acquitted Relief and Disaster Management Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya of graft charges.

It also asked the High Court to rehear the appeal filed by the minister with the High Court challenging a lower court judgment which had jailed him for 13 years in 2007.

A three-member Appellate Division bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Justice SK Sinha, on Sunday passed the order.

Advocate Abdul Baset Majumdar stood for the minister while Advocate Khurshid Alam Khan represented the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC).

In 2007, the ACC filed the case against the Senior Awami League leader with Sutrapur Police Station accusing him of amassing wealth beyond his known source of income and concealing information about his wealth worth Tk 29 lakh.

On 24 February 2008, a lower court sentenced him to 13 years’ jail in connection with the case and asked the authorities concerned to confiscate his wealth worth Tk 5 crore.

Later, Maya filed an appeal before the High Court. On 27 October 2010, the High Court cleared him of the graft charges.

Later, the ACC filed an appeal against the High Court order to the Appellate Division.