Law
Week
UN offers help in holding fair polls
The United Nations (UN) will provide technical and financial assistance for holding a free and fair election in Bangladesh. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon gave the assurance when Farooq Sobhan, special envoy of the chief adviser, called on him at UN headquarters. Sobhan apprised the secretary general of various reform measures adopted by the caretaker government to hold the election before the end of 2008. He also met a number of UN high officials including Lynn Pascoe, under secretary general, Department of Political Affairs, Vijay Nambiar, chef de cabinet of the secretary general, Hafiz Pasha, assistant administrator of the UNDP, Craig Jenness, director, UN Electoral Assistance Division, and Sergey Karev, deputy executive director of UN Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate. During the meetings, the special envoy said the Bangladesh government will welcome UN support in recovery and repatriation of the money siphoned out of the country in the past. He informed the UN officials that an excellent team of civilians is running the caretaker government, which is fully committed to good governance. -UNB, Dhaka, May 13.
Corruption charges
HC's first rule on bail under emergency
After its recent ruling, the High Court for the first time exercised its power of hearing application seeking bail of a person facing corruption case under the Emergency Powers Rules (EPR) 2007. On April 22, the High Court, after inviting a legal debate on the revocation of right to bail, ruled that it has the jurisdiction to dispose of petitions seeking bail by any person facing criminal case under the emergency rules. The amended EPR had revoked the right to bail of those being herded up during the current countrywide operation against crime and corruption. Exercising the power, a High Court division bench comprising Justice MA Matin and Justice MA Hye issued a couple of rules upon the government to explain why the two petitioners "should not be granted bail."The court rules came on separate applications filed by Sabera Aman, wife of former state minister for labour and employment Amanullah Aman, and industrialist and Awami League leader Salman F Rahman. The rule in Sabera's case is returnable in a week while Salman's in two weeks. Sabera, facing a corruption case, was denied bail and sent to jail on May 9 when she appeared in the special graft court at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban complex. -UNB, Dhaka, May 14.
ACC boss for local anti-graft bodies
Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Chairman Lt Gen (retd) Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury stressed the need to form anti-corruption committees with neutral persons at the local level. The ACC is going to adopt a new action plan to intensify the ongoing anti-corruption drive and the local committees would play a vital role in this regard, he said at a view exchange meeting at Cox's Bazar Cultural Centre. At the meeting that was held as part of his countrywide campaign against corruption, he suggested forming anti-corruption committees in cooperation with the deputy commissioners and with the participation of professionals. Terming the present environment conducive to anti-corruption drive, the ACC chairman urged all to forge a social movement against corruption. There might not be the opportunity to raise voice against corruption after two years, he added. Local people can take a strong stand against corrupt people through non-violent means and raise mass awareness about it, he said. At the meeting, the local people expressed their keen interest to be involved in the anti-corruption drive. -The Daily Star, May 14.
EC plans to complete voter list in 8 months
The Election Commission (EC) intends to finish preparing the voter list with photographs in 8 months and assesses that the number of voters will not exceed 7.5 crore, about two crore less than the number on the last electoral roll. By increasing the number of teams that will register voters in phases by being stationary at voter registration camps across the country, the EC believes it will be possible to complete the task by March or April next year if the eligible people show just enough enthusiasm for visiting the camps to register their names, sources close to the commission said. Although the EC earlier had planned to complete the field level task in 12 months by engaging 8,000 teams, it now has a changed plan to increase the number of teams to 12,000 in a bid to expedite the job, but by setting up voter registration camps instead of going from door to door. The new plan however triggered a debate about whether prospective voters will respond favourably to the new methodology. The EC will refrain from going past the timeframe by any means, which will end in September next year, the election commissioner said. -The Daily Star, May 16.
Mamun sent to jail after 50 days in custody
After 50 days in police custody, detained controversial businessman Giasuddin Al Mamun was finally sent to jail custody. Meanwhile, he confessed before a magistrate his involvement in extorting Tk 5 crore from a local agent of Chinese Harbin Power Engineering. Proceedings of an arms case filed against Mamun were adjourned until May 20, as he was not produced before a Dhaka court. Mamun, a close friend of BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Tarique Rahman, was finally sent to jail custody after his arrest on March 25 at his Banani DOHS house in connection with an arms case filed with Cantonment Police. Police seized a .22 bore Spanish pistol and eight bullets at his house. Later, an arms case was filed against him. Mamun was taken on a four-day remand after being produced before the Court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) on March 26. On April 26, Cantonment police submitted the charge sheet against Mamun to the CMM court, Dhaka showing 12 people as prosecution witnesses. -The Daily Star, May 16.
UK seeks consular access to its nationals held in Sylhet dragnet
The British government has formally sought consular access to the British nationals who were arrested in Sylhet for allegedly holding a meeting in a house violating the rules of state of emergency. Responding to media enquiries, British High Commissioner in Dhaka Anwar Choudhury said, "We are aware of the arrest and detention of a number of British nationals in Sylhet. We are in touch with the relevant authorities." "We have asked for confirmation of the details of the arrests and we have formally sought consular access to the British nationals," he added. The high commissioner said the United Kingdom expects that the detainees will be well treated and will be given full access to their consular rights. Law enforcers arrested some 40 Awami League (AL) leaders and activists. A number of them were British-Bangladeshi nationals learnt to have come from London with AL President Sheikh Hasina on May 7. A Sylhet court sent the arrested people to Sylhet jail with a one-month detention. -The daily Star, May 16.
Corresponding with the Law Desk
Please send your mails, queries, and opinions to: Law Desk, The Daily Star 19 Karwan Bazar, Dhaka-1215; telephone 8124944,8124955,fax 8125155; email: dslawdesk@yahoo.co.uk,lawdesk@thedailystar.net
