The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has upheld the High Court's order directing Orion Group Chairman Obaidul Karim and his wife, Arjuda Karim, to surrender all passports, including their Bangladeshi and Dominican (Commonwealth of Dominica) passports, to the lower court.
Earlier, on May 14, a Dhaka court denied a petition filed by Obaidul Karim and his wife, Arjuda Karim, seeking permission to travel to India, Singapore, or the United Arab Emirates for urgent medical treatment.
Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Md Sabbir Faiz passed the order, rejecting the couple's plea for a temporary waiver of their overseas travel ban.
According to court sources, Obaidul Karim and his wife, Arjuda Karim, applied through a lawyer in March to seek permission to travel abroad for urgent treatment.
On March 5, the High Court rejected the application and ordered them to surrender all their passports to the lower court.
Obaidul Karim and his wife filed an application (Criminal Petition No. 1089/2026) in the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court seeking a stay of that order.
A four-member bench of the Appellate Division led by Chief Justice Zubair Rahman Chowdhury dismissed the petition on Tuesday (May 19).
The other three members of the bench are Justice Ashfaqul Islam, Justice Rezaul Haque and Justice Farah Mahbub.
Advocate Mahmudul Arefin Swapan represented in the hearing on behalf of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), while Advocate Madhumalati Chowdhury Barua represented Obaidul Karim.
Obaidul and several members of his family have been under a travel embargo since Feb 17 last year.
After the Awami League government was toppled in a student uprising on August 5, 2024, ACC officials launched a corruption investigation against the Orion Group.
Several investigations are underway against Obaidul Karim and his family members on various charges, including illegal wealth acquisition and money laundering.
*This report, originally published in the Khaborer Kagoj print and online edition, has been rewritten in English by Md Sahadad Hossain*
