Strike force to curb financial crimes soon
The government is going to set up an independent interagency
strike force to fight money laundering and other financial crimes, including
fund flow for terrorist activities. This was decided in a inter-ministerial
meeting. The meeting also decided to form a financial intelligence unit
to collect, analyse and disseminate information on suspicious fiscal
transactions with relevant domestic and international law enforcement
authorities. The meeting asked the law ministry and the attorney general
to scrutinise the legal aspects of implementing the decisions and suggest
frameworks. The meeting deliberated on whether the persons or organisations
accused by the strike force of financial crimes should be tried by the
Speedy Trial Court. The force will work under the attorney general and
will include representatives of the BB, Criminal Investigation Department
of police, Bureau of Anti-Corruption and the attorney general's office.
It will be equipped with all required expertise for investigating money-laundering
cases and will use the central bank as a source of information, data
and expertise. Members of the force will be carefully chosen and awarded
with a high-level salary to prevent corruption. -Law Desk.
Charges
pressed in Manik Saha murder case
Khulna police have pressed charges against 13 people under the Explosive
Substances Act for detonating a bomb that killed journalist Manik Chandra
Saha. The Court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate on March 29 received
the charge sheet, submitted by the Investigation Officer (IO). The accused
are Sumon alias Nuruzzaman, Akbar Ali Shikder alias Shaon, Akram, Abdus
Sattar alias Disco Sattar, Abdur Rashid Shaikh alias Tapu, Shawkat Hossain
alias Shokah, Altaf alias BDR Altaf, Mofizul, Sarwar Hossain alias Saro,
Bellal, Kochi alias Omar Faruque, Mithu and Bulbul alias Bulu. Of them,
Sumon, Akbar Ali Shikder, Akram and Bulbul are in jail custody while
the rest are evading arrest. The chargesheet has been submitted keeping
scope for supplementary chargesheet if necessary. Journalist Manik Chandra
Saha was killed in a bomb explosion on 15 January near the Khulna Press
Club. On 17 January SI Ranjit Kumar Das filed the case with Khulna thana.
-Prothom Alo, 8 April.
HC
bans Crown, Hunter
The High Court has declared production and marketing of energy drink
Crown and malt beverage Hunter illegal. The court imposed the ban on
the grounds of morality and public interest as the drinks contained
alcohol. A division bench of Justice Shah Abu Naim Mominur Rahman and
Justice Abdus Salam Mamun passed the orders following a writ petition
filed by the beverage company managing director challenging cancellation
of its registration by the Board of Investment (BoI). The Board on 1
March cancelled the registration of Crown Beverage Ltd. On 21 March
the company filed the writ petition challenging the decision. -Prothom
Alo, 7 April.
Murder
case against 4 cops
A murder case has been filed against four policemen of Shyampur Police
Station with the Court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate. Jabeda Begum
of 313, Muradpur at Noakhalipatti in Shyampur accused Md Anwar Hossain,
divisional probationary sub-inspector, and three constables Shakhawat,
Ali Reza and Jalal Uddin of killing her son Mamun on 16 March. In the
complaint, she said, Mamun went out at 4:40pm to a nearby tea-stall
and several minutes later, an unknown boy came to inform her that police
gunned down her son and took him away with them. The complainant and
her husband went to Shyampur Police Station to learn that police had
taken their son to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for treatment. Shortly
afterwards, the parents found Mamun lying dead in a pool of blood at
the emergency section of the hospital. On their return home at 8:00pm,they
learnt from the locals that as the policemen entered the tea-stall,
Mamun and several others started running. The police chased them for
about 100 yards and fired at them and Mamun was shot. Anwar, the probationary
sub-inspector, fired once again at Mamun to be sure of his death and
took him away on a police van, said the complainant. She alleged Shyampur
police refused to register the case and threatened her with implicating
her other sons in false cases. Magistrate Jagannath Das Khokon took
the case into cognisance and directed the officer-in-charge of Shyampur
Police Station to take necessary steps on completion of an investigation
into the matter. -Daily Star, 4 April.
Jayanti
murder case transferred
Judge of Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court has sent the Jayanti
Reza murder case to the Third Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge's
Court, Dhaka for quick disposal. The Detective Branch (DB) on March
30 indicted Azam Reza for killing his wife Jayanti Munsi alias Jayanti
Reza and dropped the names of television performers Shampa Reza and
Afsana Mimi from the charge sheet as the allegations against them could
not be proved. Investigation officer (IO) submitted the charge sheet
to the Court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Dhaka after 82 days of
the incident. The IO in the charge sheet said that primary investigation
based on the first information report (FIR), statements of 20 witnesses
and the post-mortem report found Azam Reza guilty. The IO quoting the
post-mortem report said, death was due to cerebral failure resulted
from head injury, which was homicidal in nature. Police recovered the
body of Jayanti, a teacher of Australian International School, hanging
from the ceiling fan in their Banani residence on January 9 afternoon.
Jayanti's mother filed a General Diary (GD) with Gulshan Police Station,
where she mentioned that Azam killed Jayanti to pave the way for making
Mimi his life partner. Later, she filed a case accusing Azam Reza, his
sister Shampa Reza and Afsana Mimi. -Daily Star, 6 April.
