Law
week
JS
body okays bill for blanket WB immunity
The parliament is likely to pass this month the much-talked-about
bill proposing blanket immunity to the World Bank (WB)
in Bangladesh, after a parliamentary watchdog okayed the
bill amid strong opposition protest.
The
representative of the main opposition Awami League (AL)
in the parliamentary standing committee on finance ministry
gave a note of dissent and walked out of the meeting while
the parliamentary panel was scrutinising the bill, terming
it a violation of the constitution and democracy. The
committee later finalised the bill without bringing major
changes and is to submit a report recommending its passage
in the next parliament session slated for May 12, meeting
sources said.
Once
passed, the bill will put the Bretton Woods institution
beyond any legal action, a privilege the multilateral
lending agency enjoys in no other country of operations.
The
International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Asian Development
Bank (ADB) were given legal immunity earlier in 1972 and
1973. The WB was then given partial immunity. The
Daily Star, May 2.
Mohammad
Ali new Attorney General
Additional Attorney General AJ Mohammad Ali has been appointed
the 12th Attorney General of Bangladesh to replace Hassan
Ariff who resigned recently. Mohammad Ali will take over
the charge on Monday as President Iajuddin Ahmed appointed
him the chief law officer of the state.
Hassan
Ariff, who resigned apparently over disagreements with
the government on several issues, attended his last day
in the office. Meanwhile, a group of government law officers
after Ariff's resignation demanded removal of a few law
officers identifying them as "followers of Ariff."
Branding attorney general Ariff a failure, the law officers
yesterday demanded ouster of officers who were appointed
during the last Awami League regime, accusing them of
corruption, nepotism and irregularities. The demands came
from a meeting at the attorney general's office yesterday
with Assistant Attorney General Waliur Rahman in the chair.
Some 20 out of more than 60 law officers attended the
meeting.
The
meeting noted that Ariff did not resign on health grounds
-- rather the prime minister asked him to quit as in the
last three years he miserably failed to run his office.
The
hour-long meeting held before the formal appointment of
Mohammad Ali, urged the government to appoint an attorney
general who will be loyal to the ruling alliance. AAG
Rejaul Karim said an investigation should be launched
against a law officer who is involved in human rights
organisation Odhikar. Without mentioning the officer's
name Karim said, "He is making the government controversial."
The Daily Star,
May 2.
CMP
chief removed as EC finds him guilty
The government removed the Chittagong Metropolitan Police
(CMP) commissioner after the Election Commission (EC)
the same day ordered for his removal on the failure to
discharge his duties impartially in the run-up to Chittagong
City Corporation (CCC) elections.
The
home ministry attached M Amzad Hossain, the commissioner,
to the Police Headquarters and made Additional Commissioner
Mohammed Moniruzzaman as Acting CMP Commissioner.
The
EC, a quasi-judicial body, had also directed the home
secretary to immediately replace him with a suitable person
for holding the May 9 polls in a free, fair manner. Sources
close to Amzad, however, said he was going around saying
that he would be reinstated in his position once the election
is over. The EC order came in the wake of allegations
by main opposition Awami League-backed Chittagong Nagorik
Committee that the CMP commissioner was harassing its
workers and favouring the ruling alliance candidate.
The
Nagorik Committee is backing incumbent Chittagong City
Mayor ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury for a consecutive third
term in office. The CMP commissioner, after declaration
of the election schedule, made a number of arrests that
apparently amounted to harassment and intimidation, the
EC said in its judgement. Prothom
Alo, May 3.
Man
killed for protesting adulterated oil sale
A young man, struck hard on the head by a grocer after
a scuffle over sale of adulterated soyabean oil, died
at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH).
As
Abdul Majid, 30, a resident of Karail slum in Gulshan,
protested grocer Mohammad Ripon's selling adulterated
oil to him the previous day and pressed Ripon for taking
back the oil, their altercation turned into a scuffle,
said duty officer of Gulshan Police Station. "At
one stage, Ripon struck Majid on the head with a wooden
stick, leaving him seriously wounded," he added.
Majid was rushed to DMCH where he succumbed to his injuries
after an hour. Police arrested Ripon. The
Daily Star, May 3.
Chapa
Murder SC overturns HC order
The Supreme Court (SC) overturned the High Court (HC)
verdict that had acquitted the three accused earlier sentenced
to life imprisonment by the lower court in the Chapa murder
case in Barisal 16 years ago. After hearing both sides,
the three-member Appellate Bench headed by Justice Mohammed
Fazlul Karim upheld the lower court verdict, reducing
the punishment of two lifers to seven years. Fauzia Rahman
Chapa, mother of a son and wife of Shahidul Alam, one
of the owners of REPHCO Pharmaceutical Laboratory, was
murdered in her house at Fakirbari Road in Barisal City,
when the husband was on a visit abroad.
The
court upheld the life imprisonment of Shahidul's brother
Zahurul Islam Kamal and reduced the punishment of Nasiruddin
Jamal, another brother of Shahidul, and their brother-in-law
(dulabhai) Zillul Bari to seven years. The court in its
judgment directed the convicts, who were set free nine
years ago, to surrender before the trial court immediately.
On an appeal against the district court verdict, the High
Court acquitted them on benefit of doubts in April 1996.
UNB, Dhaka, May
3.
CJ
ducks SCBA sit-in for Faizee's removal
The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) staged a two-hour
sit-in in the chief justice's entryway to the Supreme
Court, demanding resignation of Additional High Court
Judge Faisal Mahmud Faizee. Chief Justice Syed JR Mudassir
Husain however avoided any encounter with the demonstrators
by entering his office an hour before the sit-in. The
protesting lawyers warned that if the chief justice continued
to allow Faizee to conduct judicial work, the SCBA would
organise a sit-in in front of the chief justice's courtroom,
then go for hunger strike and even boycotting his court.
During
the demonstration, the lawyers also said, if necessary,
they will demand resignation of the chief justice. They
accused the chief justice of violating his oath and obliging
the government. About 150 lawyers gathered at the Supreme
Court building gate and joined a protest rally chaired
by SCBA President Mahbubey Alam. He urged the chief justice
not to make himself controversial for a person like Faizee.
Former SCBA president Ozaer Faruk said, "We are protesting
the activities of chief justice…If you [chief justice]
think our demonstration is meaningless, ask Faizee to
show his original LLB certificate." Bar Council member
Sahara Khatun told the rally, "We are preparing to
file a criminal case against Faizee for lying about his
age." The
Daily Star, May 4.
ACC
to probe actions against corrupt officials
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) will probe corruption
of government officials getting away with minor punishment
on the pretext of departmental action. The Commission
will call for records of departmental cases filed against
government officials on graft charges to see if adequate
actions had been taken against them. The anti-graft watchdog
observed that many government officials got away with
minor punishment for big corruption, according to Commission
sources. "In many cases, respective departments withhold
two increments or stop promotion or suspend (officials)
for a few months although the officials indulge in huge
corruption for which they should face criminals charges,"
an ACC official told The Daily Star yesterday, seeking
anonymity.Sources said many trade union leaders and officials
and employees with political backing in different government
departments escape punishments using their political identity
despite doing huge corruption. "Steps taken against
them in the name of punishment often amount to mere eyewash,"
said an ACC source. The
Daily Star, May 4.
Corresponding
with the Law Desk
Please send your mails, queries, and opinions to: Law
Desk, The Daily Star 19 Karwan Bazar, Dhaka-1215;
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