Queensland man to contest bribery charge linked to probe into wife's death
Rehana Parvin and her estranged husband Awlad Hossain. (Supplied)
In short:
The lawyer of a man accused of bribing foreign officials to influence a Bangladeshi police investigation into his estranged wife's death says his client will contest the charge.
Awlad Hossain, 51, allegedly attempted to get his name struck from police records.
What's next?
His bail application is expected to be heard next month.
A Queensland man charged with bribing foreign officials over his estranged wife's murder investigation is "shocked and concerned" by the allegations, according to his lawyer.
Awlad Hossain, 51, is accused of sending more than $90,000 in multiple payments to people he knew in Bangladesh over two years in an alleged bid to have his name removed from a police investigation into the suspected murder of his estranged wife, Rehana Parvin.
Torik Dib said Mr Hossain would contest the bribery charge, with a bail application adjourned until next month.
Mr Dib told reporters outside Brisbane Magistrates Court his client was "shocked and concerned" about the allegations.
Rehana Parvin's estranged husband Awlad Hossain. (Supplied)
Asked about the investigation into Rehana Parvin's suspicious death, Mr Dib said his client had not been charged with any offence in relation to it.
The court heard Mr Hossain's Redbank Plains roommate was a third party involved in the matter, but he was not a co-accused and had not been charged.
Mr Dib asked the court to adjourn the bail application due to outstanding material related to the roommate and an employment reference for Mr Hossain.
Torik Dib says his client Awlad Hossain was shocked to be charged with bribing a foreign public official. (ABC News: Eden Gillespie)
That means he will remain in custody for another three weeks.
The Commonwealth prosecutor said they would oppose the bail application, which is expected to be heard on October 16.
The ABC revealed last year that the AFP were investigating the death of Queensland woman Rehana Parvin as a suspected murder of an Australian overseas.
That investigation remains ongoing, while a separate Bangladeshi police probe into Ms Parvin's death continues.
Awlad Hossain has not been charged in relation to the murder investigation of his estranged wife.
The ABC does not suggest that Mr Hossain had any involvement in his wife's death; only that Bangladeshi police have applied for an arrest warrant.
The couple had five children together and lived in Australia for almost 20 years, spending time in Brisbane and regional Queensland.
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