Criminal Defence Law Firm in Dhaka | Kazi Law Chamber

The ACC Amendment Ordinance 2025 significantly expanded the jurisdiction and investigative powers of the Anti-Corruption Commission. The Money Laundering Prevention Act 2012 captures an increasingly broad range of predicate offences. The Cyber Security Act 2023 replaced its predecessor legislation with a wider jurisdictional reach. These developments mean that corporate executives, directors, financial sector professionals, business owners, and regulated individuals face a level of criminal enforcement risk that requires experienced and strategically sound legal representation, often from the moment an investigation begins rather than after charges are framed.

The High Court Division's Criminal Jurisdiction

The High Court Division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh exercises criminal jurisdiction across several dimensions, each of which gives rise to a distinct category of High Court criminal practice. It hears criminal appeals from Sessions Courts and Special Tribunals, exercising jurisdiction on both fact and law. It exercises revisional jurisdiction under section 439 of the Code of Criminal Procedure over orders passed by subordinate criminal courts, correcting errors of law and jurisdiction even where no formal appeal lies. It hears capital sentence references under section 374 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, where a death sentence passed by a Sessions Court is automatically submitted for confirmation before it can be carried out. It entertains habeas corpus applications under Article 102 of the Constitution and section 491 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. And it exercises inherent jurisdiction under section 561A of the Code of Criminal Procedure to quash criminal proceedings, FIRs, and charge sheets where the allegations disclose no cognisable offence or where continuation of proceedings would constitute an abuse of the process of the court.

White-Collar Crime and Corporate Criminal Defence

White-collar criminal matters are among the most consequential proceedings a business, a corporate executive, or a high net worth individual can face in Bangladesh. They combine the severity of criminal exposure with the commercial complexity of the underlying transactions, the reputational sensitivity of public proceedings, and the regulatory dimension of investigations conducted by powerful enforcement agencies with broad statutory powers. Defending these matters effectively requires lawyers who understand both the criminal procedural framework and the commercial and regulatory context in which the alleged conduct occurred.

The ACC Amendment Ordinance 2025 considerably strengthened the enforcement machinery available to the Anti-Corruption Commission. The ACC now has explicit authority to conduct undercover inquiries, to manage and preserve the value of seized assets including factories, vehicles, and bank accounts pending trial outcomes, and to demand asset statements from its own officers as well as from those under investigation. Its territorial reach now extends to Bangladeshi citizens anywhere in the world and to non-citizens committing scheduled offences that target Bangladesh. The 2025 Amendment also expanded the ACC's schedule of offences to include stock market-related conduct including insider trading and market manipulation under the Money Laundering Prevention Act 2012, bringing capital market participants within the ACC's direct investigative jurisdiction for the first time.

Alongside the ACC, the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit, the Criminal Investigation Department, and the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission all have investigative and enforcement functions that can give rise to criminal exposure for corporate entities and individuals. The Money Laundering Prevention Act 2012, which treats money laundering as a continuing offence that renews daily with each day of possession of proceeds of crime, creates a broad and serious exposure for anyone whose financial transactions are connected, even indirectly, to a scheduled predicate offence.

Kazi Law Chamber advises and represents individuals and corporate entities in white-collar criminal matters including:

• ACC investigations and prosecution under the Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2004 as amended, and the Prevention of Corruption Act 1947, covering bribery of public servants, misappropriation of entrusted funds, and corruption-related charges against public servants and private individuals
• Money laundering investigations and prosecution under the Money Laundering Prevention Act 2012, including advising on the scope of predicate offence exposure, managing asset freeze and confiscation risk, and constructing a defence against the reverse burden of proof
• Insider trading and market manipulation charges within the ACC's expanded jurisdiction following the 2025 Amendment, including advising capital market participants on their exposure under the revised statutory framework
• Fraud, cheating, and financial deception charges under the Penal Code 1860, including section 420 fraud arising from commercial transactions and business dealings
• Criminal breach of trust, misappropriation of company funds, and charges arising from the conduct of directors and officers in the management of corporate entities
• False documentation, forgery, and related charges frequently arising alongside financial crime allegations in commercial and banking contexts
• Financial sector offences involving banks, non-bank financial institutions, insurance companies, and capital market participants
• Pre-charge advisory for directors, executives, and regulated individuals who are under investigation or inquiry and require legal guidance before any formal charges are filed
• Internal investigation support for corporate entities assessing and managing criminal exposure arising from the conduct of officers, employees, or commercial counterparties
  
  

Quashment of Criminal Proceedings

The inherent jurisdiction of the High Court Division under section 561A of the Code of Criminal Procedure to quash criminal proceedings is one of the most practically valuable remedies in the Bangladesh criminal justice system. Where a First Information Report, charge sheet, or criminal case has been initiated on allegations that do not disclose any cognisable offence, or where the proceedings are manifestly an abuse of the criminal process, or where the continuation of the case would cause injustice disproportionate to any legitimate public interest in prosecution, a quashment application before the High Court Division can bring the matter to a conclusive end before the client is required to undergo the full burden of a criminal trial.

Quashment is particularly relevant in the commercial context, where criminal proceedings are sometimes initiated as a pressure tactic in the course of a business dispute, a debt recovery effort, or a competitive rivalry, rather than as a genuine exercise of the criminal justice process. Where the allegations, even if taken at their highest, do not constitute a criminal offence, or where the complainant's real objective is commercial leverage rather than criminal justice, the High Court Division has consistently shown willingness to exercise its inherent jurisdiction to prevent the misuse of criminal process. Kazi Law Chamber has experience in identifying when quashment is available and in constructing the legal arguments necessary to obtain it.

Our quashment practice covers:

• Applications to quash FIRs and charge sheets where the allegations on their face disclose no cognisable offence under the applicable statute
• Applications to quash proceedings where the criminal case is an instrument of harassment, commercial pressure, or personal vendetta rather than a legitimate prosecution
• Applications to quash proceedings in compoundable offences where the parties have settled their dispute and the continuation of criminal proceedings serves no remaining public purpose
• Applications to quash proceedings before Special Tribunals and dedicated courts where the allegations do not satisfy the jurisdictional requirements of the relevant statute
• Advising clients at the pre-filing stage on the strength of a potential quashment application and the strategic timing of making it
  
  

ACC Investigations and Pre-Charge Strategy

Being subject to an ACC investigation is one of the most consequential situations a person in Bangladesh can face, carrying with it the risk of public disclosure, asset freezing, restrictions on travel, and ultimately criminal prosecution with severe sentencing consequences. The ACC's powers during investigation are extensive and include summoning witnesses, demanding production of documents and financial records, requiring asset statements from persons under inquiry, conducting surveillance, and since the 2025 Amendment, conducting undercover inquiries. All scheduled offences under the ACC's jurisdiction are cognisable and non-bailable, which means that the ACC can arrest without a warrant upon credible information, and that bail becomes a High Court matter from the moment of arrest.

Early legal engagement when an investigation begins, or even when there is reason to believe an investigation may be imminent, can make a significant difference to how matters develop. Kazi Law Chamber advises individuals and corporate entities at the pre-charge stage on their legal rights and obligations during an ACC inquiry, the appropriate legal response to requests for documents, financial records, and asset statements, the strategic management of the client's position to the fullest extent the law permits, and the preparation of a bail application that can be filed promptly if and when an arrest occurs.

Bail Before the High Court Division

Where bail is denied by a trial court or magistrate, or where the offence falls within a category for which the trial court has no jurisdiction to grant bail, an application before the High Court Division is the available route. The High Court Division exercises a broad bail jurisdiction that takes into account the nature of the alleged offence, the strength of the prosecution case on the available material, the period of detention already suffered, the risk of flight or interference with evidence, and the broader interests of justice. In appropriate cases, the court will impose conditions on bail rather than refuse it altogether, and persuading the court toward a conditional grant rather than outright refusal is itself an important objective in a well-argued bail application.

Kazi Law Chamber prepares and argues bail applications before the High Court Division in cases including:

• ACC and anti-corruption prosecution cases where the non-bailable nature of the offence requires High Court intervention from the point of arrest
• Money laundering cases under the Money Laundering Prevention Act 2012
• Narcotics and drug trafficking offences under the Narcotics Control Act 1990
• Financial fraud, banking fraud, and white-collar criminal cases
• Cybercrime cases under the Cyber Security Act 2023 where bail has been refused at the trial court level
• Capital offence cases where the accused has been remanded and requires urgent High Court intervention
• Cases before Speedy Trial Tribunals and other special courts where bail jurisdiction rests with the High Court Division
  
  

Where the circumstances warrant it, we also advise on pre-arrest legal strategy and the preparation of anticipatory bail applications to protect the client's position before any arrest takes place.

Criminal Appeals and Revisions Before the High Court Division

A conviction by a Sessions Court or Special Tribunal is not the end of the matter for a client who has grounds for appeal. The High Court Division hears criminal appeals on both fact and law, and has the power to acquit, commute, modify, or where appropriate enhance a sentence, as well as to order a retrial where the fairness of the original proceedings was materially compromised. Effective appellate advocacy at the High Court level requires a thorough and independent review of the entire trial record, including the evidence of every witness, the exhibits, the charge, the judgment, and the procedural history, to identify all viable grounds of challenge and to present them with the clarity and precision the court expects.

Kazi Law Chamber handles criminal appeals and revisions before the High Court Division covering:

• Appeals against conviction and sentence in cases tried before Sessions Courts and Special Tribunals
• Revision petitions challenging interlocutory orders and procedural rulings that affected the fairness of the trial
• Opposing state appeals against acquittal where the prosecution challenges a trial court's finding of not guilty
• Advising convicted persons on the strength and strategy of an appeal before the High Court Division
• Advising on sentencing appeals where the sentence is disproportionate or based on an incorrect assessment of the applicable factors
  
  

Capital Sentence References

Where a Sessions Court passes a death sentence, the Code of Criminal Procedure requires automatic submission of the matter to the High Court Division by way of reference for confirmation. The High Court Division conducts an independent review of the entire trial record and is not bound by the findings of the trial court. This process represents the most significant and consequential stage of a capital case and provides the fullest opportunity available under Bangladesh law for defence counsel to present a comprehensive case for acquittal or for commutation of the sentence to life imprisonment.

Kazi Law Chamber advises on and appears in capital sentence reference proceedings, conducting a thorough and independent review of the trial record and advancing all available grounds for the accused, including challenges to the sufficiency and reliability of evidence, the legal directions given by the trial court, procedural irregularities affecting the fairness of the trial, and the adequacy of the sentencing court's consideration of mitigating circumstances.

Narcotics Offences

The Narcotics Control Act 1990 imposes some of the most severe penalties in Bangladesh's statute book, including the death penalty for specified quantity thresholds and mandatory minimum sentences across a range of offences. Cases are tried before dedicated Narcotics Control Courts and are subject to appeal before the High Court Division. Bail in narcotics cases is among the most difficult to obtain at the trial court level and typically requires a carefully prepared and well-argued application before the High Court Division.

Kazi Law Chamber advises on narcotics offence defence matters including bail applications before the High Court Division, criminal appeals against conviction and sentence, capital sentence references, and quashment applications where the circumstances support a challenge to the proceedings.

Cybercrime and Digital Security Offences

The Cyber Security Act 2023 is the current primary legislation governing criminal offences in the digital space in Bangladesh. It covers a range of offences including hacking and unauthorised access to computer systems and data, distribution of malicious software, financial fraud through digital means, identity fraud, defamation through digital content, and offences relating to critical information infrastructure. The Act has broad jurisdictional reach, applying to conduct both within Bangladesh and from abroad where the effect is felt in the country.

Kazi Law Chamber accepts cybercrime and digital security defence mandates selectively, taking on cases where there is a genuine and legally defensible basis for the defence and where the instructions are consistent with our professional standards and ethical obligations. We do not take instructions in every case that presents itself under this legislation, but where a client has a real defence to a digital security allegation, whether arising from a misidentification, an overreach of the statute, a procedurally flawed investigation, or a genuine factual dispute with the prosecution's case, we advise and represent with the same rigour we bring to any significant criminal matter.

Our cybercrime practice covers bail applications before the High Court Division, quashment applications where the proceedings are legally unsound, and criminal appeals against conviction and sentence.

Representation Before Subordinate and Special Courts

Kazi Law Chamber's primary criminal practice is focused on the High Court Division, where the firm's litigation strength is most directly applied. For significant criminal matters where the trial is before a Sessions Court, Special Tribunal, Narcotics Control Court, ACC Special Court, Speedy Trial Tribunal, or other first instance criminal court, we provide direct representation and strategic legal support where the nature and significance of the matter warrants expert legal counsel involvement at that stage. In these cases we assess each matter individually, considering the complexity of the legal issues, the severity of the potential consequences, and whether our involvement at the trial stage would make a material difference to the development of the record and the strength of any subsequent High Court proceedings. Our involvement in lower court criminal matters is deliberate and selective rather than routine, ensuring that when we are instructed at the trial level, the client receives the full benefit of senior engagement from the outset.

Why Choose Kazi Law Chamber for Criminal Defence

Criminal proceedings before the High Court Division require lawyers who understand the court's jurisdiction in depth, who can identify the correct grounds of challenge with precision and frame them with the clarity the court expects, and who bring genuine appellate advocacy capability rather than a trial practice that has been extended upward. Kazi Law Chamber's criminal defence work is built on exactly this foundation. Our practice is focused on the High Court level, our preparation is thorough, and our strategic advice is grounded in a realistic assessment of what the law makes available rather than what a client might hope to hear. For clients whose criminal exposure also intersects with commercial, regulatory, or corporate matters, which is increasingly the position for directors, executives, and business owners facing white-collar charges, we bring those dimensions together as part of a coordinated legal strategy rather than treating each element in isolation.

For individuals, corporate executives, directors, and businesses seeking experienced criminal defence representation before the High Court Division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh, Kazi Law Chamber provides the legal capability and professional commitment the work requires.