Saturday, March 29th, 2008Chief Adviser (CA) Fakhruddin Ahmed has said various projects will be taken up for the development of underprivileged tribal people of the CHT region with special emphasis on education.“The present government is also giving importance to various income-generating projects for the people of the region,” the CA said at a cultural programme performed by Murang tribe at Kapurpara here yesterday morning.Earlier, the head of the caretaker government visited the members of Murang tribe at Kapurpara, 50-km from Bandarban town.Murang people welcomed the CA by playing their special musical instrument and wearing traditional dress. He donated Tk1 lakh to solve ...
(read more) Friday, March 28th, 2008 A special court yesterday awarded businessman Giasuddin Al Mamun 10-year and his wife Shahina Yeasmin three-year rigorous imprisonment in a case for amassing huge ill-gotten wealth, highest among the bigwigs.The Special Court-7 of Judge Sirajul Islam found Mamun, the closest aide to BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Tarique Rahman, and his wife guilty of amassing Tk 111.3 crore illegally.Mamun was also fined Tk 10 lakh, and will have to serve one more year behind bars if he fails to pay the sum. The court also ordered the wealth amassed illegally to be confiscated by the state.The court set ...
(read more) Friday, March 28th, 2008The Supreme Court (SC) yesterday refused the government's leave to appeal against the High Court (HC) judgment quashing two graft cases against former premier Khaleda Zia as the government failed to clearly explain years of delay in seeking the permission.The full bench of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice Mohammad Ruhul Amin gave the decision.The graft cases were filed during the 1996-2001 rule of Awami League government. Following applications filed by Khaleda the HC quashed the cases during the rule of BNP-led four-party alliance government.On December 21, 1996, now defunct Bureau of Anti-Corruption (Bac) filed ...
(read more) Friday, March 28th, 2008The Election Commission (EC) is preparing a set of recommendations for the caretaker government on some crucial issues including trial of war criminals.Modification of the constitution's article 70, an increase in parliamentary seats and introduction of bicameral parliament will figure prominently in the suggestions being drawn up on the basis of demands raised by political parties during the electoral reforms talks, said sources in the EC.In line with its earlier announcement, the commission will submit those to the government at the end of April or early May. It believes the administration will take necessary steps in due time.Contacted ...
(read more) Friday, March 28th, 2008A Chittagong court yesterday sentenced four Islami Chhatra Shibir activists to death and three Shibir men to life imprisonment for killing eight people including six Bangladesh Chhatra League activists in Bahodderhat on July 12, 2000.The Court of Second Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge Ekramul Haq Chowdhury also fined them Tk 50,000 each. The three with life terms will have to stay in prison a year more if they fail to pay the fine.Thirteen of the 22 charge-sheeted accused were acquitted and two others were exempted from the charges since they were killed in "crossfire".The convicts to walk the gallows are Sajjad ...
(read more) Friday, March 28th, 2008Detained businessman Giasuddin Al Mamun was in the spotlight as a controversial businessman, a close friend of Tarique Rahman and part of the mighty Hawa Bhaban coterie throughout the rule of BNP-led four-party alliance.During the period, he became a byword for corruption and abuse of power. Despite having no relations with the party officially, he used to pull strings in BNP politics.He was one of those detained as graft suspects soon after the military-backed caretaker government took office in January last year. He was also among the first 50 high-profile individuals listed as graft suspects by the Anti-Corruption Commission ...
(read more) Friday, March 28th, 2008The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) yesterday approved submitting charge sheet against BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Tarique Rahman, his wife Dr Zubaida Rahman and mother-in-law Iqbalmand Banu in a case filed for amassing illegal wealth and hiding wealth information.Following investigation, the watchdog decided to charge him with concealing wealth worth Tk 2,16,48,087 in his statement to the ACC and amassing assets of Tk 2,74,93,087 beyond known sources of his income.Meantime, the ACC yesterday filed a case with Ramna Police Station against former Awami League lawmaker AKM Rahmatullah, his wife Hamida Rahmatullah and their son Safayet Ullah on charges of amassing ...
(read more) Thursday, March 27th, 2008The jail authorities yesterday suspended for three months the division in jail accorded to five high-profile detainees as they breached the jail code by using mobile phones inside jail.Ex-BNP lawmakers Mosaddek Ali Falu and Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu also lost their right to meet visitors for the same offence.The prisoners whose division in jail was put on hold are former BNP ministers Nazmul Huda and Altaf Hossain Choudhury, former BNP lawmaker and political adviser to BNP chairperson Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury, former Awami League state minister Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir and Nazmul Huda's wife Sigma Huda.Deputy Inspector General (Prisons) Maj Shamsul Haider ...
(read more) Thursday, March 27th, 2008Central Awami League (AL) leaders have ruled out the possibility of going for any movement right now to get party chief Sheikh Hasina released despite immense pressure from grassroots level leaders.Top AL leaders believe that they would be able to get Hasina released within a few weeks through negotiation with the government.AL Presidium member Suranjit Sengupta said they would not object to any decision the party president makes about her.Leaders of metropolitan, district, and upazila units of AL and its front organisations have been putting immense pressure on the AL central committee for the last few months to ...
(read more) Thursday, March 27th, 2008Election to the executive committee of Dhaka University Teachers' Association (Duta) was deferred for 15 days yesterday following a written request from the police department on the eve of its previously scheduled date of today.The Duta executive committee yesterday rescheduled its election for April 12, while expressing deep concern over an incident of four members of the joint forces entering the election commissioner's residence in the early hours of the day, asking him to resign from the post.At a news briefing following an urgent meeting of the association at the Duta Club yesterday evening, the association's General Secretary Professor ...
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