Archive for July 29th, 2008
Tuesday, July 29th, 2008The High Court (HC) yesterday granted bail to 10 persons including three former ministers and four former lawmakers who had been arrested in the anti-corruption drive of the military backed caretaker government.The ten, who had been accused in separate corruption cases filed by the Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) and the government, were granted ad-interim and anticipatory bail.After hearing separate petitions, an HC bench comprising Justice Sharif Uddin Chaklader and Justice Md Emdadul Haque Azad stayed the proceedings of the cases against the accused.The court also issued separate rules upon the government to explain why the petitioners should not be granted regular ...
(read more) Tuesday, July 29th, 2008The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) yesterday approved filing of two cases against 36 staff of the Roads & Highways Department (RHD) for embezzling Tk 185.91 crore meant for the state coffers.An ACC probe carried out as part of the measures against institutional corruption found that the RHD employers and officials had skimmed the sums after collecting those as tolls for Tongi-Ashulia highway and Meghna and Meghna-Gomati bridge through fake money receipts or without any receipt.Of the amount embezzled, Tk 174.35 crore was collected at Meghna and Meghna-Gomati toll point in between 2002 and 2006 while Tk 11.56 crore at Tongi-Ashulia in ...
(read more) Tuesday, July 29th, 2008The Election Commission (EC) has asked the establishment ministry to take steps for deployment of adequate number of mobile courts comprised of executive magistrates for summary trial of electoral offences in the August 4 polls in four city corporations and nine municipalities.In a letter to the establishment ministry to this effect, the EC apprehended that electoral offences like campaigning for votes within a radius of 400 yards of polling stations, annoying voters and attempting to cast fake votes or snatching ballot boxes might take place on polling day.“ This sort of offences should be tried summarily by mobile ...
(read more) Tuesday, July 29th, 2008The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) yesterday pressed charges against Beximco Holdings Ltd Chairman Sohel F Rahman, Vice-chairman Salman F Rahman, its two directors and two former high-ups of IFIC Bank Ltd in a Tk 158.67 crore embezzlement case.Meantime, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) filed a case against detained former BNP lawmaker from Demra Salahuddin Ahmed, his wife, three sons and daughter for evading over Tk 2.41 crore in income tax from 2004 to 2008.BEXIMCO CASE ACC Assistant Director Ashraful Alam, also the investigation officer (IO) of the case, submitted the charge sheet against the accused to the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan ...
(read more) Tuesday, July 29th, 2008 Lying on a bed at the labour unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), Rita Begum is indeed very happy and proud. She has become mother of an angel like baby girl. The child is now safe under her mother's observant eyes. But how will she grow up in a city of pollution, over population and traffic mismanagement?Will this city be liveable by the time she herself becomes a mother? The answer is not unpredictable to urban researchers. Dhaka city, which was developed as an urban settlement centuries ago and turned into one of the fastest growing mega ...
(read more) Tuesday, July 29th, 2008The High Court (HC) yesterday threw away the corruption cases filed by the Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) against family members of former BNP minister Tariqul Islam, former state minister Redwan Ahmed, and former lawmaker MAH Salim.Upon separate writ petitions, an HC bench comprising Justice Mohammad Abdur Rashid and Justice Md Ashfaqul Islam delivered the judgments declaring illegal the case proceedings against Tariqul Islam's wife Nargis Begum, their sons Shantanu Islam and Aninda Islam, Shantanu's wife Lamia Sharmin, Redwan Ahmed's wife Momtaz Ahmed, MAH Salim's wife Amena Begum, and their son Mehedi Hasan.Advocate AHM Mizanur Rahman, a counsel for the ...
(read more) Tuesday, July 29th, 2008The Advisory Committee on Public Purchase yesterday ordered the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) to thoroughly investigate a decision of the communications ministry on cancellation of a Tk 1800 crore tender for upgrading the Dhaka-Chittagong highway.The Roads and Highways Department (RHD) had invited the tender to upgrade the Daudkandi-Chittagong portion of the highway to four lanes.But after completion of the tender evaluation committee's work, the communications ministry recently cancelled the tender proposal, which the cabinet body termed as “beyond the jurisdiction” of the ministry.As per government procurement procedure, when a government agency invites any tender involving more than ...
(read more) Tuesday, July 29th, 2008Gas connections to stalled industrial units within the next two months was put on the list of top priorities by the high-powered committee formed to recommend short-term solutions to the gas and power crisis in the port city.At its first meeting held at Chittagong Circuit House yesterday, the committee also agreed to recommend expediting the forming of Karnaphuli Gas Company Ltd for better gas distribution in the region.In the power sector, the committee would recommend increasing power generation through setting up a 50MW barge-mounted rental power plant and taking measures to increase 40MW of power at existing gas-run power plants. ...
(read more) Tuesday, July 29th, 2008Kuwaiti Police yesterday arrested some Bangladeshi workers after they went on a rampage while protesting low wages, poor working conditions and other exploitations over the last couple of days.According to the Arab Times, about 2,000 Bangladeshi workers, employed by Al-Jawhara Company for Stevedoring and Cleaning in Hassawi in Kuwait, destroyed six vehicles and injured five camp officials on Sunday.The protesting workers also attacked the company office in Jleeb Al-Shyoukh on Saturday evening.Police finally brought the situation under control Sunday noon, the company's operations manager K John was quoted as saying.Shahriar Kader Siddiky, labour counsellor of Bangladesh Embassy in Kuwait ...
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