Dhaka: The High Court has declared illegal an Anti-Corruption Commission's (ACC) notice demanding the wealth statement of detained former prime minister and Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina.

A High Court bench comprising judges Shah Abu Nayeem Mominur Rahman and Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury delivered the verdict after hearing a writ petition filed by the ex-premier, challenging the commission s notification issued on July 17.

In the verdict, the court observed that the commission did not follow due process of law in notifying Sheikh Hasina, reports said here today. According to the law, the commission, after conducting preliminary inquiries, has to be sanguine that a person is possessing wealth beyond his/her known sources of income before asking the person concerned to submit wealth report, the court pointed out adding that no such inquiry was conducted before notifying Hasina.

Officials of the anti-graft body, however, said they might appeal against the High Court verdict. "We still have the scope to appeal against the verdict and the commission will decide on the issue at its meeting later tomorrow (Thursday)," ACC chairman Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury said yesterday at the commission headquarters.

"It is not a big issue... We are not disheartened with the High Court verdict. It is a legal matter and we will face it in legal process," he said. ACC issued the notice a day after she was arrested on July 16 by army-led joint forces in connection with an extortion case. An identical notice was also served on her arch rival -- now detained ex-premier and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chief Khaleda Zia.

Source : PTI