Archive for February 19th, 2007
Monday, February 19th, 2007The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) yesterday published a list of 50 persons, including three dozen former ministers and lawmakers, and top politicians and businessmen, in the first phase of publishing names of 420 top corrupt suspects.The 50 were asked to appear before four assigned ACC directors and submit their wealth statements at the ACC office in Segunbagicha within 72 hours of receiving the notification.If they fail, their movable and immovable properties will be attached for a temporary period.The list has the highest number of 26 leaders from the BNP, 18 from the Awami League (AL), one each from Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami ...
(read more) Monday, February 19th, 2007The Election Commission (EC) yesterday started reviewing the existing election laws to bring in massive electoral reforms, but it did not say how much time will be required to complete the task. "It's a massive task. We have just started examining the election laws. After a few days, we will be able to say how much time will be needed to complete the task," Chief Election Commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda told reporters yesterday after an EC meeting that started the review of the existing election laws."Our only objective is to proceed with the process for holding a free and ...
(read more) Monday, February 19th, 2007Law enforcers seized corrugated iron (CI) sheets of government relief fund yesterday raiding the village home of former deputy minister for land Ruhul Quddus Talukder Dulu in Natore and from a college established by former BNP lawmaker from Shujanagar upazila in Pabna, Selim Reza Habib.Meanwhile, detained former BNP lawmaker Salahuddin Ahmed was placed on a five-day remand in connection with three cases filed against him recently for land grabbing, extortion, and illegal possession of foreign currencies and arms.The army-led joint forces yesterday for the first time since the anti-corruption drive had begun arrested a Bangladesh Civil Service cadre. They ...
(read more) Monday, February 19th, 2007The political party to be floated by Prof Muhammad Yunus is likely to be styled "Nagarik Shakti" or "Citizen's Power." The Nobel laureate disclosed this yesterday to the reporters at the Zia International Airport on his return from Chittagong."I will formally launch the party later this month and it might be named Nagarik Shakti," Yunus said adding "The way things are going on, there is no scope to stay out of politics.....we have to move forward."Yunus said that 20-member village-level and ward-level party committees will be formed to muster support for his nascent party. These committees would be known as ...
(read more) Monday, February 19th, 2007From his secret hideout, Orion chief Obaidul Karim in a letter to the Power Development Board (PDB) sought "some more days" for his defaulted payment for Meghnaghat-2 495 megawatt power project, thus avoiding its cancellation by next week.Karim blamed the press for negative reports that, he claimed, affected his cash flow situation. He, however, did not write a single line explaining why he is avoiding arrest and how he would face the graft cases against him.PDB sources meanwhile said it has made primary preparations to cancel the Meghnaghat-2 deal."Ideally, the sooner we cancel the Meghnaghat-2 deal, the better for the ...
(read more) Monday, February 19th, 2007On the list are former Home Minister Mohammad Nasim (AL), former Communications Minister Barrister Nazmul Huda (BNP), former adviser to the prime minister Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury (BNP), former Works Minister Mirza Abbas (BNP), former Chief Whip Abul Hasnat Abdullah (AL), former political secretary to the prime minister Harris Chowdhury (BNP), Tarique Rahman's close friend Gias Uddin Al Mamun, former political secretary to the prime minister Mosaddek Ali Falu (BNP), former MP Shamim Osman (AL), Engineer Mosharaff Hossain (AL), Akhteruzzaman Chowdhury Babu (AL), former Environment Minister Tariqul Islam (BNP), Salman F Rahman (AL), former state minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya (AL), ...
(read more) Monday, February 19th, 2007The government has initiated steps to review the anti-hoarding regulations to set limits on the quantity of essential goods the businessmen can store for a certain period of time.The government is also mulling reintroduction of the business intelligence activities to intervene market manipulation so that the importers and other businessmen cannot dictate price artificially."We will sit with the law ministry and other ministries concerned soon in order to review the existing hoarding regulation," Commerce Secretary Feroz Ahmed told reporters after a meeting with businessmen at the commerce ministry conference room.The ministry is assessing options about how the now defunct market ...
(read more) Monday, February 19th, 2007Awami League (AL) General Secretary Abdul Jalil last night said the party will not take any responsibility for those leaders and workers who have been proven guilty of criminal offences. "If anyone is convicted and not victimised then the party will not take responsibility for them," he said while briefing newsmen after a meeting of AL presidium members at Sudha Sadan residence of party chief Sheikh Hasina.Following a two-hour-long meeting with Hasina in the chair, Jalil told reporters that they discussed the present political situation and the list disclosed by the Anti-corruption Commission.Why some of the AL leaders were ...
(read more) Monday, February 19th, 2007The National Board of Revenue (NBR) yesterday projected that revenue collections in the current fiscal year will see hardly a 13 percent growth against 21 percent targeted in the budget for FY 2006-07. The projection came at a meeting of fiscal and monetary coordination council chaired by Finance Adviser AB Mirza Azizul Islam.Terming the current revenue target ambitious, he said in no way would it be possible to attain that much growth. It would rather hover around the usual rate of 13 to 14 percent, he said.The adviser said the political unrest in the last couple of months might ...
(read more) Monday, February 19th, 2007The authorities yesterday seized around 1,065 tonnes of poisonous ghee, imported 25 years ago, from Chittagong Port and sent the consignment to Eastern Refinery to destroy it. Around 15 tonnes of the inedible ghee were burnt yesterday on recommendation of a high-level committee.Joint forces and senior officials witnessed the burning of the ghee.According to an UNB report, some 23 importers had imported 2,500 tonnes of inedible ghee from Australia in 1982. Of that, 1,065 tonnes had been kept in the port shed and the rest in warehouses of different financing banks.The customs officials did not release the consignments upon ...
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