A High Court bench today dropped from the cause list a writ petition filed by former adviser of the caretaker government Maj Gen (retd) MA Matin seeking an order not to harass or arrest him without due process of law.

The HC bench of Justice Tariqu-ul Haqim and Justice Borhanuddin also asked Matin's lawyer to move the petition to any other bench of this court. Matin's lawyer Advocate Giasuddin Ahmed told The Daily Star that the law enforcement agency members were raiding his client's residence although there is no case against him.

Matin yesterday filed the writ petition with the HC bench seeking an order not to harass or arrest him as the former caretaker adviser has been apprehending that he might be arrested at any time. "The High Court bench today did not hear the matter and we will move the petition to another bench of the court next week," he said.

bdnews adds: The High Court on Tuesday dropped the writ petition filed by former shipping adviser MA Matin seeking orders against his arrest or harassment in a corruption case, a lawyer said. Deputy attorney general Mostafa Jaman Islam told bdnews24.com after the ruling that the bench of justices Tarique-ul-Hakim and Borhanuddin declined to approve Matin's petition filed on Sunday.

"In such a situation the petitioner's lawyer wants to move another bench and the existing bench drops the petition from the list," he said.

Advocate Mohammad Giasuddin, the former adviser's lawyer, said in the hearing that the police had raided Matin's Chittagong house on July 31. Earlier, the parliamentary standing committee on shipping ministry had decided to summoned Matin, but made a change of heart on the grounds that it had the enough documents, Giasuddin said.

Still, the police raided his house, the court heard.

The chief of the parliametnray sub-committee that investigated him, Mohammed Shah Alam, on July 26 said that they would not allow him to defend himself with regard to the charges of irregularities in the container management deal at Chittagong port. The standing committee earlier unanimously accepted the report of the parliamentary sub-committee that found "massive irregularities" done by Matin and eight others on the last day of his office on Jan 6. The committee, however, did not find any evidence that Matin had taken bribe to land the company, Ishaq Brothers, the deal, Chowdhury said. However, Matin, a retired major general who was a director general of the Bureau of Anti-Corruption, the ACC's predecessor, maintained that he did nothing wrong.

"Former adviser M A Matin had direct role in awarding the work to the company in violation of the government guidelines," Noor-e-Alam Chowdhury, the committee chairman, had said. The chairman said former secretary Sheikh Motahar Hossain and seven officials were also involved in the deal. "He (Matin) pressed officials to award the contract," said Chowdhury.

The chairman said the tender was not invited properly in line with the government rules and the CPA did not hold any board meeting before awarding the contract. Besides, false certificate was given in favour of Ishaq Brothers, a "novice" company.

"Therefore, we have asked the ministry to refer the case to the Anticorruption Commission," said Chowdhury. He said the tendering process caused financial losses to the public exchequer.

"So, we have also asked the ministry to file cases to realise the money," said the chairman. Matin was also home adviser and chief of the corruption-busting national committee formed by the past military-installed caretaker government. The standing committee found that Matin had allegedly arranged a board meeting of the CPA in the afternoon of Jan 5 to evaluate the tender committee's report.

The CPA initiated the file to award the contract within 24 hours to Ishaq Brothers after the meeting and couriered it to Dhaka by air, the committee said.

The file was accepted on Jan 6 morning and the same was sent to CPA for necessary actions after the adviser had signed it. The file reached Chittagong in the afternoon of Jan 6 and the CPA awarded the work to Ishaq Brothers at 9pm when the new government was taking oath at the Bangabhaban. The standing committee also alleged that Matin had raised the service age of "pilots" at Chittagong port to 60 years from 57. "He is not the authority to increase age of any public servants. This should be a political decision. He must be made accountable for this," Alam had said.