Rapid Action Battalion Ex-manager of Sonali Bank Ruposhi Bangla branch held,Bangladesh

BANGLADESH NEWS

Rapid Action Battalion Sunday night arrested former manager of Ruposhi Bangla Branch of Sonali Bank in connection with Hall-Mark loan scam.

Lt Col MM Anisur Rahman, commanding officer of Rab-3, told The Daily Star that they picked up AKM Azizur Rahman around 9:00pm from a road at Rampura in the capital.

He said they made the arrest at the request of the Anti-Corruption Commission against graft cases filed in connection with the loan scam.

The Rab official said they will hold a press briefing on the arrest and later hand over the Sonali Bank official to the Ramna Police Station.

On October 4, the ACC filed 11 cases with Ramna Police Station against 27 officials of Hall-Mark and state-owned Sonali Bank for misappropriating Tk 1,568 crore.

The cases were filed under the Money Laundering Prevention Act and the Corruption Prevention Act.

Of the accused, seven are Hall-Mark officials while the rest are Sonali Bank officials, including its former managing director Humayun Kabir.

According to an audit report, the Ruposhi Bangla Hotel branch of Sonali Bank had disbursed Tk 3,606 crore in loan to Hall-Mark Group and five other companies defying banking rules.

The Bangladesh Bank also revealed massive irregularities in the sanctioning and disbursing of loans, especially to the little-known Hall-Mark Group.

Meanwhile, Tanvir Mahmud, managing director of Hall-Mark Group, and another top official of the controversial firm were placed on a 24-day remand in three cases in connection with the Sonali Bank loan scam.

Tanvir, meanwhile, in an arms case was also placed on a five-day police remand.

Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Erfan Ullah of Dhaka granted the remand for eight days in each of the three cases after the Anti-Corruption Commission sought a 110-day remand for each of them in a total of 11 cases.

The remand prayers in eight other cases were waiting for hearing at the court.

The other Hall-Mark official is Tusher Ahmed, general manager (commercial) and also husband of Tanvir's sister-in-law.

Hours after the arrest of Tanvir and Tusher, six ACC officials submitted 11 separate prayers with the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court of Dhaka in the afternoon seeking 110 days' remand for the duo.

Rapid Action Battalion arrested Tanvir and Tusher on the night of October 7 in Pallabi of the capital along with a pistol, four bullets and a magazine.

The elite force on Monday filed a case against Tanvir with Pallabi Police Station for illegally possessing the gun and bullets.

World Bank -ACC meeting productive:Country Director Ellen Goldstein,Bangladesh

BANGLADESH NEWS

World Bank Country Director Ellen Goldstein said on Sunday the expert panel of the global lender had a productive meeting with an Anti-Corruption Commission team probing alleged corruption in the Padma bridge project.

"The major discussion was fruitful. The panel and ACC will work together so that the panel can give advice on characteristics of ACC investigation," said Goldstein.

She was speaking to reporters after the WB experts had their first meeting with the anti-graft watchdog at the latter's Segunbagicha headquarters in Dhaka.

Anisul Huq, chief counsel for the ACC, said both the commission and the World Bank's panel agreed to follow the laws of the land in probing alleged corruption in the Padma bridge project.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, he said, "They wanted to know whether hatching conspiracy for indulging in corruption is an offense and our country has such provision."

"They also wanted to know the update of our enquiry process and we elaborately informed them of the progress," another ACC official told reporters.

"They wanted to know the rules and we told them," ACC Chairman Ghulam Rahman told reporters while leaving his office after the meeting.

"We explained the trial procedure and investigation procedure in country," he added.

Asked whether the panel gave any advice or put any recommendation, he said they had no recommendation or advice.

The three-member WB team, assigned to review the investigation into the Padma bridge corruption allegation, in two white Land Cruisers reached the ACC office around 3:18pm to hold the around four-hour meeting with the four-member probe body of the ACC.

Ellen Goldstein, WB country director in Bangladesh, was accompanying the delegation.

This is the maiden visit of the WB team of a series of visits to assess the conduct of the Anti-Corruption Commission's probe into the alleged corruption in the project.

Luis Moreno Ocampo, a former chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, is leading the delegation, which will submit a report to the World Bank in this regard later. The panel will also share its findings with the Bangladesh government and other co-financiers of the project.

The other members of the panel are Timothy Tong, former commissioner of the Independent Commission Against Corruption of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Peoples Republic of China; and Richard Alderman, former director of the UK Serious Fraud Office.

The WB had announced the appointment of the panel on October 5.

Bangladesh will get the World Bank's financing for the Padma bridge project if the global lender's external panel finds satisfactory the country's handling of corruption allegations over the project.

The WB cancelled its $1.2 billion credit for the Padma bridge project in June, saying it had proof of a corruption conspiracy involving Bangladeshi officials, executives of a Canadian firm and private individuals.

On September 20, it declared its decision to engage anew in the project 'upon satisfactory implementation of the agreed measures by the Bangladesh government, and with the support of the bank's governing bodies'.

The WB also clearly hinted that it would not tolerate any corrupt practices in the nearly $3 billion project.

76pc of 149 MPs involved in criminal activities:Transparency International Bangladesh TIB study,Bangladesh

BANGLADESH NEWS

Seventy six percent of 149 parliamentarians surveyed were involved in various criminal activities including killing, land grabbing, extortion, tender manipulation and cheating, says a TIB study.

The study released Sunday by Transparency International Bangladesh said, “53.5 percent MPs carried out criminal acts in person and criminal cases have been filed against only 24.1 percent of the 149 legislators and in most cases aggrieved people could not dare to file cases or police refused to record cases.”

It added that 97 percent of 149 MPs were also involved in multiple ‘negative’ activities including influencing administrative acts, controlling educational institutions, misuse of development allocation, involving or supporting criminal activities, influencing public procurement, violating electoral code of conduct, grabbing government plots on false statement.

MPs in the present parliament in general used their position as source of income outside the house and spent only 9.2 percent time of the 254 working days in first seven sessions for legislation purpose, the prime task they were elected for, the study shows.

At the same time, 53.7 per cent of the 149 members had positive contribution outside parliament including contribution in education or health sector, maintaining good relation with opposition and the electorates, constructing infrastructure, solving local problems, relief drive on personal initiative, contribution in agricultural sector, maintaining law and order and encouraging empowering women.

The researchers said they had collected data from newspapers and group discussions in 42 districts. Most of newspapers depicted the lawmakers negatively and the positive contributions came from participants in the group discussions.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina unveils testing of 3G service,Bangladesh

BANGLADESH NEWS

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday inaugurated the long-awaited 3G mobile service via the state-run Teletalk to provide users with high-speed internet access.

The PM unfolded the new service on commercial testing basis through a video talk with President Mohammad Zillur Rahman.

The inaugural ceremony was held at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in the capital.

Hasina said with the introduction of the 3G service, people will get high speed internet service which will speed up and ease information and data transfer system.

The mobile subscribers will also get the opportunity to enjoy video call and develop digital services, she said.

Zillur Rahman, who was on the other side, said the country put a step forward on implementing the vision of Digital Bangladesh with the introduction of the 3G service.

The new initiative would play key role in developing education, health and economic sectors in the country, he added.

The service would be available in Dhaka for the time being, through the 200-odd 3G-enabled base transceiver stations the state-run operator has installed in the capital city.

Other divisional headquarters would get the service in phases, according to Teletalk officials.

The service will be rolled on to the private mobile networks once the licences are secured via the auction due in early next year.

Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) allocated 5 megahertz (MHz) spectrum from the 2100 MHz band, for now, to Teletalk for the trial purposes.

The telecommunications ministry is now finalising the draft of the 3G guideline.

3G, short for 3rd generation of mobile telecommunications technology, enables video telephony and high-speed internet access from the mobile network.

4 journos sued over Ramu Ukhiya and Teknaf of Cox's Bazar violence,Bangladesh

BANGLADESH NEWS

Police have filed a sedition case against four journalists of a local newspaper and its owner in connection with the recent attacks on Buddhists in Ramu, Ukhiya and Teknaf of Cox's Bazar.

The accused are--owner of Dainik Bakkhali GM Rahim Ullah, Chief Editor Zaber Ahmmed Chowdhury, Editor Siddique Ahmed, News Editor Mostafa Sarwar and Teknaf correspondent Saiful Islam Sayeedi.

Home Secretary CQK Mostak on Sunday that they have ordered the officer-in-charge of Cox's Bazar Sadar Police Station to file the case and a gazette notification has been issued in this regard. The home secretary has signed the papers on Thursday.

In the gazette notification, these persons have been made accused of instigating the incident.

High Court too Destiny Group bail to army chief Lt Gen (retd) M Harun-Ar-Rashid,Bangladesh

BANGLADESH NEWS

The High Court on Sunday rejected the bail petition of Destiny Group President and former army chief Lt Gen (retd) M Harun-Ar-Rashid in connection with two money laundering cases.

An HC bench rejected two bail petitions saying that the petitions were not filed following appropriate way.

The court said Gen Harun would have to seek bail challenging the lower court order that on October 11 had rejected his bail prayer.

Harun’s lawyer Abdul Matin Khasru told reporters that they would file bail petition later in the day as per the HC directive.

The HC bench of Justice AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury Manik and Justice Farid Ahmed on Sunday rejected the petition.

On October 11, a Dhaka court sent Harun to jail in connection with the money laundering cases after rejecting his bail prayer.

Harun on the same day filed 2 separate bail petitions to the HC through his lawyer.

After the central bank requested Anti-Corruption Commission to look into the Destiny scams, the watchdog on July 31 filed cases against the group's 22 top officials over the Tk 3,285.26 crore laundering.

In the cases, Harun, an ex-chief of army staff, was shown as a Destiny Group director and Rafiqul Amin as managing director. But Destiny's documents showed them as president and chairman respectively.