Archive for March 8th, 2007
Thursday, March 8th, 2007Tarique Rahman, the man who was allegedly at the centre of the rampant corruption unleashed in the last five years of the BNP-Jamaat regime and who from BNP's political office Hawa Bhaban controlled everything from civil administration to political arena, was arrested in the early hours of today from the cantonment residence of his mother, former prime minister Khaleda Zia.In a massive crackdown on the persons linked to corruption in the past regimes, armed forces surrounded his house, disconnected all telephone connections including mobile ones, and finally stepped into his house at 12.10am to cause the final downfall of the ...
(read more) Thursday, March 8th, 2007In the biggest-ever crackdown last night the joint forces detained a number of top politicians including BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Tarique Rahman, former health minister Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Chittagong Mayor ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury and former Jamaat lawmaker Dr Syed Abdullah Mohammad Tahir.Editor of Janakantha Atikullah Khan Masud was also arrested from the newspaper office in Eskaton.Armed forces also went to Sudha Sadan, residence of AL president Sheikh Hasina, and the residence of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.NTV MD SENT TO JAIL Tejgaon Police yesterday produced ntv MD Enayetur Rahman, former BNP MP Harunur Rashid from Chapainawabganj-3 constituency and owner ...
(read more) Thursday, March 8th, 2007The caretaker government has made a move to reconstitute the high-powered National Security Council (NSC) to make it effective, to strengthen the ongoing crackdown on corrupt individuals, and to ensure national security and accountability in the government. Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed will lead the NSC while the chiefs of three armed forces, chief of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), and civil society personalities will be its members.Adviser to the Caretaker Government Maj Gen (retd) MA Matin yesterday said a new NSC will be formed soon."The framework of the council is yet to be formulated," Matin said while talking to BBC ...
(read more) Thursday, March 8th, 2007Aiming at curbing corruption, irregularities and criminal activities across the country, the government has formed eight central and 64 district-based task forces comprising members of the army, Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) and different intelligence agencies.The cabinet division yesterday issued a notification regarding the task forces, sources said.The government has also initiated a move to form 20 more anti-graft teams to enquire into the graft allegations against big corruption suspects on the second list of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) that may be revealed by month-end.Law Adviser Mainul Hosein told The Daily Star yesterday that the task forces are now gathering information ...
(read more) Thursday, March 8th, 2007The interim government yesterday decided to cut import duties on commodities, ensure increased supply commodities in the market and ask the joint forces to coordinate their drives targeting the corrupt and dishonest businesses only. High-level officials of Bangladesh Bank (BB) and the armed forces in a meeting on Tuesday with Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed in the chair discussed ways to restrain the spiralling prices of essentials, sources said.Sources said BB officials in the meeting drew attention on various negative impacts of the ongoing drives by the joint forces. They observed that the drives panicked genuine traders.The meeting decided to ask ...
(read more) Thursday, March 8th, 2007The government has prepared a list of 50 influential political leaders and businessmen for the second phase of the joint forces' anti-corruption drive.The Daily Star last night received a copy of the list from a reliable source. The persons listed are:BNP Senior Joint Secretary General and former prime minister Khaleda Zia's son Tarique Rahman, Former health minister Khandakar Mosharraf Hossain, Chittagong Mayor ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury, Awami League (AL) Joint General Secretary Obaidul Quader, former minister and Jatiya Party (Manju) Chairman Anwar Hossain Manju, former minister Aminul Haque, AL Presidium Member Sheikh Helaluddin, former prime minister Sheikh Hasina's Assistant Private Secretary ...
(read more) Thursday, March 8th, 2007The joint forces yesterday seized 34 wild animals and birds from the house of former state minister for power Iqbal Hassan Mahmood Tuku at Hosenpur in the town. The joint forces accompanied by a magistrate and a forest officer raided the house of the former minister, also a former BNP lawmaker, at around 11:00am and seized four deer, two emus, three golden pheasants, eleven turkeys, seven peacocks and two mynahs, a dove and four pigeons of rare species.The law enforcers also arrested five servants from the house.A case was filed against the former minister and his brother former pourasava ...
(read more) Thursday, March 8th, 2007Chief Justice (CJ) M Ruhul Amin yesterday threw a question before his audience from both the bench and the bar why the dignity and image of the country's highest judiciary could not be maintained, as a chain of incidents have shaken the Supreme Court. The CJ, who himself had to cross some hurdles before assuming the top seat, promised to redeem its lost glory during his brief tenure."Please cooperate with us...We, the judges, will have no dearth of sincerity to build up the judiciary as a prestigious institution in dispensing of justice for all," he told the members of the ...
(read more) Thursday, March 8th, 2007Finance Adviser Mirza Azizul Islam yesterday said former law minister Moudud Ahmed's bank accounts were frozen on logical grounds."I think the bank accounts have been frozen for justified reasons," he told reporters after his pre-budget meeting with editors of different newspapers and private television channels.The finance adviser, however, made it clear that if nothing unusual is found in those bank accounts, they will take corrective measurers."Investigation is going on and steps will be taken as per the law if our suspicion proves right," said the adviser.Asked about Moudud's reaction, he said the immediate past law minister's reaction was "natural"."We have ...
(read more) Thursday, March 8th, 2007The first day of taking over the charge of Chittagong Container Terminal (CCT) operation by private company Saif Powertec observed disturbance in goods delivery due to 'non-cooperation' of the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) operators.Power failure also added to the disturbance in the loading and unloading activities, sources said.As the operation of the CCT was brought under an integrated service, the charge to handle the container up to the delivery point was handed over to the private company that started operation of the terminal from early morning yesterday.Visiting the terminal yesterday afternoon, this correspondent found that several hundred clearing and ...
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