Archive for September 3rd, 2007
Monday, September 3rd, 2007A Dhaka court today sent former premier Khaleda Zia to jail and placed her younger son Arafat Rahman Koko on a seven-day remand, a few hours after their arrests. Metropolitan Magistrate ABM Abdul Fattah passed the order after rejecting their bail prayers at about 9:45am.Khaleda, the embattled Chairperson of BNP, was taken in a sub-jail designed for her on the Sangsad Bhaban complex around 10:10am.When Khaleda was taken to the sub-jail, several hundred leaders and workers of the party thronged the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's (CMM) Court, Dhaka area. Several leaders and workers of BNP front organisations also chanted slogans. ...
(read more) Monday, September 3rd, 2007Detained BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has expelled the party Secretary General Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan and Joint General Secretary Ashraf Hossain from their respective posts.Khandaker Delwar Hossain replaces Mannan Bhuiyan and will serve the party as acting secretary general, Khaleda’s lawyer Barrister Rafiqul Islam made the declaration today emerging from the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s (CMM) Court, Dhaka quoting his client.Rafiqul Islam said Khaleda made the announcement after the court ordered to send her to jail on graft charges rejecting her bail prayer.Joint forces arrested the former prime minister and her younger son Arafat Rahman Koko from their Cantonment residence at ...
(read more) Monday, September 3rd, 2007The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) last night filed its first graft case against former prime minister Khaleda Zia, her younger son Arafat Rahman Koko and 11 others.They have been charged with violating tender conditions in appointing Global Agro Trade (Private) Company Ltd (GATCO), an indenting house, for container handling at the Dhaka Inland Container Depot (ICD) and the Chittagong Port ICD yard despite its lacking experience and skills.The co-accused in the case are ex-chairmen of Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) Commodore (retd) Zulfiqur Ali and AMM Shahadat Hossain, ex-director (transport) of CPA AM Sanwar Hossain, former chief finance and accounts officer ...
(read more) Monday, September 3rd, 2007The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) yesterday sued detained former prime minister and Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina and six prominent personalities in a Tk 3 crore graft case.ACC Deputy Director Sabbir Hasan lodged the case with Tejgaon Police Station complaining that Hasina and the six others through mutual understanding and use of influence helped a foreign company and its local partners win a deal for setting up a barge-mount 100MW power plant in Khulna depriving the lowest bidder.Wartsila Power Development Ltd Consortium and its partners Summit Group and United Group got the deal while Hasina was prime minister .The case statement ...
(read more) Monday, September 3rd, 2007In view of the ongoing political activities, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) ATM Shamsul Huda yesterday said there should be clear guidelines about which activities are within or outside the purview of the ban on indoor politics.About the ongoing task for preparing the voter list with photographs for holding the next parliamentary polls, the CEC said, "We want to complete the task as soon as possible…We want to see an elected government as soon as possible."A leader has been doing teleconference, the CEC said making an oblique reference to BNP Chairperson and former prime minister Khaleda Zia.Senior leaders ...
(read more) Monday, September 3rd, 2007Afroza Abbas, wife of detained former housing and public works minister Mirza Abbas, was sentenced to 16 years' imprisonment yesterday in two tax evasion cases.The second special court for dealing with graft charges also fined her Tk 4.92 crore in the cases.Afroza Abbas, who was tried in absentia, would have to serve only five years in jail, as the verdict said that the sentences would run concurrently. She will, however, have to pay the full amount of the fine or serve one and a half years more in jail.The court also ordered confiscation of her properties worth about Tk ...
(read more) Monday, September 3rd, 2007The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has uncovered more than one hundred flawed pre-shipment inspection (PSI) certificates that could have cost the government over Tk 50 crore in lost revenue.The NBR has now launched an investigation into the suspicious deals with several customs officials believed to be involved in the crime.Four foreign companies issue pre-shipment inspection certificates. The certificates specify the quality, value and quantity of imported products.It is believed that the suspected certificates have been issued giving false details that allow the importer to evade tax, for example, by understating the value of goods.The NBR started monitoring the ...
(read more) Monday, September 3rd, 2007The task of the new committee on finalising the coal policy is being delayed due to wide difference of opinions among its members over various issues, including the method of mining.The committee headed by former vice chancellor of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology Prof Abdul Matin Patwari sits today for a fresh meeting. But it is not yet clear when the committee would be able to complete its job, sources said.The eight-member committee was formed as the sixth draft of a national coal policy drew a lot of criticism as being anti-investment and self-contradictory.Formation of this committee ...
(read more) Monday, September 3rd, 2007The owner of a construction firm yesterday filed a criminal case against former commerce adviser and Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal president Barkatullah Bulu, his wife Shamima Akhter and two others for extorting Tk 1.15 crore from him in 2005.Deposition of all prosecution witnesses of the money laundering case against detained former BNP lawmaker from Demra in the capital Salauddin Ahmed ended yesterday.Hearing on charge framing will be held on September 5 against detained former housing and public works minister Mirza Abbas in connection with a money laundering case.CASE AGAINST BULU Mohammad Mojibar Rahman, proprietor of Technopole Construction Company, filed the case ...
(read more) Monday, September 3rd, 2007Detained Awami League (AL) President Sheikh Hasina turned in her wealth statement to the jail authorities yesterday, showing about Tk 3.10 crore in assets, her lawyer said.Deputy Inspector General (Prisons) Major Shamsul Haider Siddiqui told The Daily Star that they received her statement and said "We will submit it to the Anti-Corruption Commission tomorrow (today)".The AL chief's submitting the wealth statement follows about a two-month long legal battle with the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in which the Supreme Court on August 27 stayed a High Court decision that stalled the operation of the ACC's notice on her and asked her ...
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