A Dhaka court yesterday rejected bail petitions of Proshika President Qazi Faruque Ahmed in five graft cases filed against him by the Bureau of Anti-Corruption (Bac).

The Court of Metropolitan Sessions Judge Sirajul Islam (in charge) upheld a lower court order, which earlier rejected Faruque's bail petitions, after his lawyers filed criminal appeals.

The court also rejected the bail petitions ot Proshika Vice-president David William Biswas in two graft cases.

The court grounded its rejection on the fact that the cases are under investigation and specific allegations are there against them.

The lower court on May 23 rejected Faruque's bail petitions in two cases and placed him on a three-day remand. It also rejected the bail petitions of David on the same day and ordered that he be sent to Dhaka Central J ail.

On May 22, a National Security Intelligence team arrested Faruque at the entrance to the High Court and the Detective Branch of Police nabbed David in Savar in connection with two of the 15 cases against the NGO' s top officials.

Bac Inspector Abdul Majed filed the cases with Pallabi Police Station on May 16.

In one of the two graft cases, Bac accused F aruque along with NGO's Senior Vice-president Mahbubul Karim and David of abusing their executive power by raising their salary scales and embezzling fund set aside for the NGO's poverty alleviation project.

The other case alleges that Faruque, Mahbub and David misappropriated Tk 14,75,275 from the organisation's fund. They paid Tk 4,16,175 in income tax on salaries of 12 Proshika consultants from the NGO's fund instead of deducting and paying the amount from their salaries in the fiscal years 1999-2000 and 2000-01.

Proshika also did not pay Tk 13,950 to the National Board of Revenue due in income tax of its contractors and distributors, the

plaintiff of the case added.

The three other cases accused Faruque of embezzling 'a huge amount of money' from the Proshika's fund.

Barrister Sara Hossain, advocates Khondaker Abdul Mannan and Mahbubar Rahman appeared for the accused petitioners while Special Public Prosecutor Anwar Zahid Bhuiyan represented the state.