Dhaka: The Appellate Division stayed the proceedings of a graft case against Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader Moudud Ahmed until 30 August over grabbing a state-owned house.

A four-member bench of the Appellate Division, led by Chief Justice SK Sinha, passed the order when Moudud moved to Appellate Division against the case.

The court also ordered him to file a regular leave-to-appeal petition by 30 August.

Lawyer Khurshid Alam stood for Anti-Corruption Commission and Moudud for himself.

Moudud said the court will hear the case on 30 August.

Earlier on 16 August, the Appellate Division fixed 23 August for hearing an appeal challenging the High Court order rejecting a petition filed by Moudud challenging the legality of a lower court order that had accepted charges against him in a case over grabbing a government house.

On 23 June, the High Court rejected a review petition challenging the legality of a lower court order taking cognisance of the charges brought by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) against BNP senior leader Moudud Ahmed in the graft case.

On 17 December, 2013, the ACC filed the case against Moudud and his brother Manzur on charge of grabbing a government house worth about Tk300 crore in the city’s Gulshan area.

ACC deputy director Harun-or-Rashid submitted a charge sheet to the CMM court against the two brothers — Moudud and Manzu r— on 26 May last year.

On 14 September, 2014, a court took cognizance of the charge sheet against them.

According to the first information report (FIR), the Dhaka Improvement Trust, established in 1956 (now renamed as Rajuk), handed over a plot of one bigha and 14 katha in Gulshan residential area to Mohammad Ehsan on 30 December, 1961.

Later, the land was registered against his wife’s name, Inge Maria Flatz, an Austrian national, in 1965.

Ehsan was a Pakistani national.

As Ehsan and Flatz (both non-Bengalis) had left the country before the announcement of the list of government abandoned houses (the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs) on 21 January, 1972, the plot was included in the list of abandoned houses.

In August 1973, Moudud allegedly prepared a fake power of attorney of Maria Flatz to grab the land and used it to gain his own interest.

Since then, Moudud had been living in the house showing himself as a tenant of Maria Flatz.

When Moudud was holding different posts as minister and deputy prime minister and prime minister during 1978-1989, he tried to grab the house abusing his power, the FIR said.

Later, in March 1984, he made another power of attorney of Flatz against the name of Mohsin Darbar (an unknown person).

According to the mutual legal assistance request (MLAR), Flatz died on 30 March, 1985.

But, Moudud made a sale deal between his bother Manzur Ahmed and Mohsin Darbar using the power of attorney of a late person.