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Download PDF Detained Awami League (AL) President Sheikh Hasina yesterday filed a writ petition with the High Court (HC), challenging the government move to bring the Tk 3 crore extortion case against her under the emergency power rules.
On her behalf, Barrister Rafique-ul Huq turned in the petition likely to be heard today.
In another development, the former prime minister has been shown arrested in the case that AL leader and businessman Noor Ali filed against her for a Tk 5-crore extortion over a power plant deal 10 years ago.
Earlier in the day, Barrister Rafique took permission from the court for filing the writ petition where Hasina said bringing extortion charges against her under the emergency power rules is illegal.
Her lawyers told the press that the alleged extortion had taken place before the state of emergency was declared, and so the charge does not warrant its being taken under the emergency rules.
Former law minister Abdul Matin Khasru, one of the counsel, said, “She was shown arrested in an extortion case on July 16, but later in the evening the case was placed arbitrarily under the emergency power rules.”
He added that all this was done to make sure Hasina does not get bail.
Around 100 lawyers accompanied Barrister Rafique when he appeared before the court to submit the petition.
The AL chief’s lawyers alleged that Hasina has been implicated in the case with an ulterior motive.
Azam J Chowdhury, managing director of Eastcoast Trading Pvt Ltd, brought the charges on June 13 this year. He accused Hasina and AL presidium member Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim of extorting from him Tk 2.99 crore in 2000 for the work of Siddhirganj Power Plant.
The joint forces arrested Hasina on July 16 and later that day a magistrate court sent her to a house designated as a sub-jail on the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban complex.
On July 24, Gulshan police indicted her together with her sister Sheikh Rehana and cousin Sheikh Selim.
Investigation Officer of the case Obaidul Haque submitted the charge sheet under different sections of the penal code.
He did not include in those the relevant section of the Emergency Power Rules, 2007, although the home ministry on July 16 asked for the case to be brought under the emergency rules.
According to the charge sheet, Selim, detained since May 29, has confessed to a magistrate that directed by Hasina he had taken the money from the businessman and later gave Rehana Tk 1 crore.
Twenty-four people including the complainant and the magistrate, who recorded the confessional statement, were shown as prosecution witnesses.
Also a former health minister, Selim has been made the prime accused. He was shown arrested in the case on June 14, and four days later, placed on a two-day remand.
NOOR ALI CASE
In response to a petition by Tejgaon police, Metropolitan Magistrate Mizanur Rahman yesterday ordered Hasina to be shown arrested in the extortion case filed by Noor Ali on June 13.
Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Tejgaon Police Station Jane Alam, also the investigation officer (IO), submitted the petition.
In the forwarding report, he said that Hasina has been arrested in a case filed with the Gulshan Police Station and is now in a sub-jail. She needs to be shown arrested in this case as well.
Noor Ali, managing director of Unique Group of Companies, in his case also accused Hasina’s cousin Sheikh Helal and his wife Rupa Chowdhury.
Meanwhile, a witness gave a judicial statement in the extortion case filed against Hasina, her sister Sheikh Rehana and Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim with Gulshan police.
GULSHAN CASE
Meanwhile, Sheikh Selim’s close friend Hafizuddin Khoka yesterday gave a judicial statement to a magistrate as an additional witness in the extortion case with the Gulshan Police Station.
Hafiz, a businessman, told Magistrate ABM Abdul Fattah that he had withdrawn a large amount of money from South-East Bank at Gulshan and Standard Chartered Bank Motijheel branch in six cheques on different dates.
In the forwarding report, OC Obaidul Haq said Hafiz was not around during the investigation of the case. Now that he was available, he agreed to give statement.
July 31st, 2007 at 12:40 am
As day to day discovered abnormalities ,irregularities , crimes, extortitons,loss of Govt revenue resulted by the
willful negligience of past AL & BNP government
giving rise to enormity which may take a decade
to bring criminal actions against the culprits.
The Honest & peace loving people of Bangladesh must unitedly call for a referandum to
retain the active services of the Present Care taker Governments for a fixed period of next Five Years. Otherwise we forsee many criminals will escape punishment & disappear from the soil of Bangladesh!
Thank you.
July 31st, 2007 at 8:29 am
Five years…..you must be joking.