Archive for February 5th, 2007
Monday, February 5th, 2007The joint forces finally made a move against the hitherto untouchable corrupt bigwigs of BNP and Awami League (AL), detaining seven former ministers and several other top politicians of both the parties, the names of which have become synonymous to unbridled corruption over the years.The high profile detainees include Nazmul Huda, Salauddin Quader Chowdhury and Mohammad Nasim.The arrests, which came three weeks into former central bank governor Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed led caretaker government's declaration of war against corruptionists and criminal godfathers, were made in the first three hours of yesterday.Preparations are on to bring graft charges against the detainees, ...
(read more) Monday, February 5th, 2007The caretaker government last night appointed former secretary Dr ATM Shamsul Huda as chief election commissioner (CEC) and another former bureaucrat Mohammad Sohul Hossain as election commissioner. Former water resources secretary Huda and ex- law secretary Sohul are likely to take oath today.Huda also served as secretary to Banking Division at the Ministry of Finance. Sohul, meanwhile, served in the judicial service of the then Pakistan and Bangladesh for more than three decades as additional district and sessions judge. He has specialisation in drafting of laws and documents, and vetting of all legal instruments.President Iajuddin Ahmed made the appointments ...
(read more) Monday, February 5th, 2007The joint forces are on the hunt for another 41 political bigwigs allegedly involved in corruption and criminal activities, sending a chill of panic among political leaders and a few businessmen.Sources said the law enforcers will disclose the list of the 41 "big fish", who have been hiding since the crackdown began, and ask them to surrender if they cannot be held in a couple of days.Two advisers to the caretaker government yesterday said the government will take legal actions against the corrupt political leaders without considering their positions in the parties."Our task is to catch the big fish, not ...
(read more) Monday, February 5th, 2007An advisory council committee yesterday recommended that the government reconstitute the three-member Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to make it functional. At its inaugural meeting, the seven-member committee on graft also suggested re-screening of the anti-graft body staffers and amending the ACC Act 2004.It proposed a number of measures to ensure speedy disposal of the corruption cases. Those include setting up special courts, fixing a 45-day time limit for submitting charge sheets and a 60-day for completion of trials.Coming out of the meeting, committee member and Communications Adviser Major Gen (retired) Abdul Matin told The Daily Star, "The incumbent ACC members must ...
(read more) Monday, February 5th, 2007Salauddin Quader Chowdhury Holding sway down to the grubby politics at the grassroots from the top rung of power, Salauddin Quader Chowdhury has allegedly been involved in numerous crimes ranging from the bloody genocide of 1971 to gunrunning to murder and extortion.He was the parliamentary affairs adviser to the immediate past prime minister, Khaleda Zia. He had served as a minister during the despotic rule of Ershad. He was first elected to parliament in 1979 on the Muslim League ticket and then in 1991 from the National Democratic Party. He joined the BNP in 1996.He vied in vain for the ...
(read more) Monday, February 5th, 2007Leaders of the Awami League (AL)-led grand alliance yesterday said the caretaker government (CG) should arrest politicians against whom specific allegations of corruption or criminal activities exist and urged not to harass them only on political consideration.Leaders of the AL, Jatiya Party (JP), Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and other alliance parties told this to The Daily Star after the joint forces detained top AL and BNP leaders during a night-time drive yesterday.Meanwhile several grand alliance leaders welcomed the move and viewed it will send a message to the corrupt people, criminals and their godfathers.Some mid-level AL leaders said they have ...
(read more) Monday, February 5th, 2007The BNP yesterday expressed concerns over the arrest of political leaders and urged the government to disclose the specific allegations against them. It also demanded immediate release of those who have no allegation against them."Without specific allegations, this kind of activities create fear and apprehension among the people," said BNP Secretary General Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan in a statement last night.All authorities concerned should be cautious so that no one's right to justice is violated, he said.The statement signed by Mofiqul Hasan Tripti, BNP office secretary, came after a party meeting with BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in the chair.Referring to the ...
(read more) Monday, February 5th, 2007Civil society leaders and eminent citizens yesterday urged the caretaker government to initiate proper investigation into the corruption charges against political leaders and bring them to justice."Those who possess black money must be brought to justice," said eminent jurist Dr Kamal Hossain in his reaction to the arrest of a dozen former ministers and lawmakers of BNP and Awami League in a crackdown on 'corrupt' politicians early yesterday.But Kamal observed that any high-profile political leaders should be arrested if there are specific allegations and evidence against them.Economist Prof Muzaffer Ahmad in his reaction said expected results would not come ...
(read more) Monday, February 5th, 2007Expressing satisfaction over the arrests of 'corrupt' political leaders, a cross section of the people in the capital yesterday demanded immediate public trials of the detainees. They also said big corruptionists, who are yet to be arrested, should be captured immediately irrespective of their political affiliations.While talking to The Daily Star, many citizens demanded that the trials must be held during the caretaker government's regime.Many of the people however expressed their doubts about whether the detainees will be put on trials.People of all walks of life also demanded immediate arrest of corrupt government officials and police personnel."Exemplary punishments ...
(read more) Monday, February 5th, 2007Lakhs of Muslim devotees raised their hands in a mass prayer seeking forgiveness and blessings for mankind and the Islamic world as the three-day Biswa Ijtema concluded yesterday with Akheri Munajat.Maulana Zobairul Hassan from Tablig-e-Jamaat, India led the 15-minute Akheri Munajat (concluding prayer) from 12:47pm at the Ijtema, the second largest congregation of the Muslims after hajj, on the bank of river Turag.Over an estimated 3.5 million people joined the munajat for divine forgiveness and purgation of their souls. Several thousand devotees from foreign countries also attended the annual event of the Tablig-e-Jamaat.All roads led to the northern outskirts ...
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