Held magnates may be freed if they hand over ill-gotten wealth

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The government may consider releasing arrested businessmen if they disclose their ill-gotten wealth and agree to hand those over to government.

However, those involved with major grafts will not receive this consideration, Law and Information Adviser Mainul Hosein said yesterday.

“If they (the detained businessmen) confess that they have acquired their wealth in dishonest ways and say that they are ready to handover those, it (release) can be considered,” the law adviser told reporters at the conference room of law ministry.

The government, meantime, is going to introduce a law for the establishment of Government Attorney Service for permanent appointment of state law officials at higher and lower courts. The service aims to ensure quality and transparency in the appointment, the law adviser said.

Mainul made the statements a day after Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) urged the government to free some detained businessmen, including its two former presidents and two sitting directors, against whom there are no specific charges.

“There is a matter of bringing to trial those who are involved with major corruptions,” Mainul said when reporters asked him about government’s response to the demand.

An emergency meeting of the FBCCI Saturday observed that the confidence of the country’s business community will be restored and the overall economy would benefit if the government releases the businessmen who do not have any specific charges against them.

GOVT ATTORNEY SERVICE
To formulate a permanent service for the state law officials, the government is going to introduce a law soon, the Law Adviser Mainul Hosein said yesterday.

The Government Attorney Service would help the government conduct cases and other related matters by appointing prosecutors in a transparent and accountable manner.

“Earlier, the public prosecutors were appointed by the political governments on political considerations and they were changed with the change of the government,” Mainul observed.

There was no system to ensure their qualification, he said adding that the system saw the law officials getting involved in politics.

No new body will be formed for the appointment of the law officials, rather they would be chosen on the basis of recommendations by the Public Service Commission.

As the law officials were changed with change of government, no training was usually arranged for them. With the creation of the service, it would be possible to make the appointment system permanent and the training for them would be arranged and there would also be promotion, Mainul said.

The service would have two branches: Supreme Court branch and district branch, and the government would establish Government Attorney Directorate for administrative control and supervision.

The government would only appoint the attorney general and two additional generals, while two other additional attorney general posts will be filled through promotion.

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