The High Court has stayed the proceedings of two separate cases filed against five top officials of online food delivery platforms Foodpanda and Delivery Hero Stores Bangladesh. The order comes as a major legal relief for the company officials who were facing charges of fraud and breach of trust in a lower court in Dhaka.
The High Court bench, comprising Justice Razik-Al-Jalil and Justice Md. Asif Hasan, issued the order and a rule following separate petitions filed by the accused officials seeking the cancellation of the proceedings. The court asked the concerned authorities to explain why the cases should not be quashed.
According to case details, Shihab Mahmud Bashir, the owner of IPLE Distribution Network, filed the two cases on July 3 of last year in a Dhaka lower court, accusing the five executives of fraud and criminal breach of trust. Following the complaints, the court directed the Gulshan Police Station to investigate the matter and submit a report. After investigation, the police submitted separate charge sheets against the five officials on June 22 and July 26 of the following year.
Subsequently, on September 23, the trial court took cognizance of the charges and issued arrest warrants against them. Prior to this, the officials sought anticipatory bail from the High Court, which granted them a six-week bail on September 13. They later surrendered before the lower court and secured regular bail before moving the High Court again to quash the proceedings entirely.
The five prominent officials involved in the legal proceedings are Syed Amberin Reza, co-founder and managing director of Foodpanda Bangladesh; Zubair Siddiqui, co-founder and director; Mohammad Tabrez Khan, director of Delivery Hero Stores (Bangladesh) Limited; Dilara Faruque, head of category; and Md. Sajedul Haque, senior manager and director. The cases are currently pending before the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court, and the High Court's stay order halts further proceedings in the trial court for the time being.
