Archive for April 24th, 2008
Thursday, April 24th, 2008The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) finally approved a charge sheet yesterday against eight persons, including Khaleda Zia's son Tarique Rahman, former state minister for home Lutfozzaman Babar and former lawmaker Qazi Saleemul Huq Kamal, in connection with taking Tk 21 crore bribe over the murder of a Bashundhara Group director.The other accused are Bashundhara Group Chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan Shah Alam and his two sons Shafiat Sobhan Sanvir and Sadaat Sobhan, Abu Sufian, director of East West Property Development Pvt Ltd, a sister concern of Bashundhara, and Tarique's private secretary Mia Nur Uddin Apu.The ACC accused them of taking and giving ...
(read more) Thursday, April 24th, 2008BNP Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain yesterday demanded resignation of all three election commissioners as he considers the present Election Commission (EC) as "controversial".The secretary general appointed by party Chairperson Khaleda Zia also said they will not participate in any election under this EC headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) ATM Shamsul Huda.Meanwhile, in a letter to the jail authorities, Saifur Rahman, acting chairman appointed by the party's standing committee, yesterday sought permission to meet the detained party chief showing ”emergency needs".In another development, the pre-dialogue talks between caretaker government advisers and leaders of the pro-Khaleda faction of BNP, which ...
(read more) Thursday, April 24th, 2008As part of a host of government decisions to boost business and investments in the country, all new industrial investments will be given tax holiday for the next 10 years while the existing Information Communication Technology (ICT) investors will get the benefit for a second five-year period.The government also decided that fiscal policy for the year 2008-09 will be 'expansionary' so that the rural and urban poor can be provided with employment for nine months under a special programme.It further decided to allow in the next budget whitening of undisclosed money earned legally. Unlike in the current budget, it ...
(read more) Thursday, April 24th, 2008The High Court (HC) has no jurisdiction to grant bail in criminal cases under the Emergency Power Rules (EPR) 2007.The Supreme Court (SC) made it clear in its judgment yesterday allowing government appeal against an HC verdict which said it has jurisdiction to dispose of bail petitions in such cases.The seven-member full bench of Appellate Division of the SC headed by Chief Justice Mohammad Ruhul Amin delivered the judgment.The chief justice pronounced the verdict only saying 'appeal allowed.'Meanwhile, people eagerly awaited the SC judgment for long to know the fate of detainees including high-profile persons in different criminal cases under ...
(read more) Thursday, April 24th, 2008Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) ATM Shamsul Huda yesterday said the Election Commission (EC) plans to hold the long over due polls to upazila parishads before the parliamentary election.The CEC disclosed the commission's plan at a time when most political parties have been vehemently opposing holding of upazila elections before the stalled ninth parliamentary poll.“We plan to hold upazila elections before the parliamentary poll,” CEC Huda told a delegation of Gono Forum at a meeting held in the EC Secretariat conference room.The poll chief however did not specify any timeframe for holding the upazila elections, although the much ...
(read more) Thursday, April 24th, 2008The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) yesterday filed a case against former prime minister Khaleda Zia's younger son Arafat Rahman Koko for concealing information about his wealth and amassing wealth through illegal means.It filed a similar case against detained former health minister and Awami League (AL) leader Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim.Abu Sayeed, deputy director of ACC, filed the case against Koko with Ramna Police Station under Sections 26 (2) and 27 (1) of ACC Act 2004.In the case, the ACC accused Koko of concealing information about Tk 11,20,145 worth of properties and illegally amassing wealth worth Tk 2,23,18,245 -- that is ...
(read more) Thursday, April 24th, 2008The jail authorities yesterday imposed a ban on making any political statement of the prisoners public, according to BBC Bangla Service report.They have also decided to take legal actions against the lawyers who made political statements public recently after meeting the two detained former premiers Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia in prison.According to the jail authorities, there is no scope for discussing with the prisoners any other matter than personal, familial and case related issues as per the jail codes.But the lawyers often violate the jail codes by making political statements public after seeing their clients.Deputy Inspector General (DIG-Prisons) ...
(read more) Thursday, April 24th, 2008The ongoing voter registration process is of international standard, though some voters' names are missing on the list, says a survey funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID).“It is going to be a list of quality no less than that of America or England,” said Dr Mohammed Yusuf, one of the consultants for the survey titled “Monitoring Voter Listing Process and Focus Group Research.”The survey report was released at a press conference at a city hotel yesterday. The other consultant for the survey was Dr Owen Lippert.Dr Yusuf and Dr Lippert prepared the report with samples from ...
(read more) Thursday, April 24th, 2008Jatiya Party (JP) Chairman HM Ershad yesterday said it is imperative to hold the stalled 9th parliamentary election under the state of emergency to ensure fairness in the poll.The former army chief who was also the longest-ruling military dictator of the country however said some relaxation in the provisions of the emergency rules is desirable.The JP chief was talking to reporters before and during the break in a presidium meeting of the party in his Banani office in the capital.Ershad, who had resigned from the post of the chief of JP last year, in a surprise move on ...
(read more) Thursday, April 24th, 2008The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) yesterday pressed charges against Awami League (AL) presidium member Kazi Zafarullah for not submitting wealth statement to the commission and Orion Group Chairman Obaidul Karim on charges of corruption.Meanwhile, mother-in-law of former BNP lawmaker Nadim Mostafa gave judicial statement in connection with a case filed against Nadim and his wife for amassing wealth illegally and giving false information to the commission.ACC Deputy Director Abul Kashem, also the investigation officer (IO) of the case, submitted the charge sheet to the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's (CMM) Court, showing nine people as prosecution witnesses.The IO prayed for issuing arrest ...
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