The New Nation - Internet Edition

Tarique, Babar chargesheeted: Tk 21 crore bribe to cover up killer

Tarique Rahman

Lutfozzaman Babar

Staff Reporter

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) pressed charges against former state minister Lutfozzaman Babar, BNP senior joint secretary general Tarique Rahman, Basundhara Group owner Ahmed Akbar Sobhan and five others in a Tk 21 crore bribery case with the Dhaka CMM's Court.

The chargesheet alleged that Babar demanded Tk 50 crore in bribe for dropping the names of Ahmed Akbar Sobhan alias Shah Alam, his two sons Safiyat Sobhan and Shahadat Sobhan and another director, Abu Sufian, from the list of the accused in the Basundhara director Humayun Kabir Sabbir murder case.

The bribe was taken for not filing chargesheet and for destroying evidence and stopping any police action against the accused in the murder case.

Babar, Tarique and their accomplice Miah Nooruddin Apu took Tk 1 crore in bribe. Besides Babar himself took Tk 20 crore bribe in eight cheques. The accused persons kept Tk 20 crore in an account of Prime Bank owned by businessman Kazi Salimul Haque.

Deputy Assistant Director ACC and the Investigation officer of the case Rupak Kumar Saha submitted the chargesheet.

A total of eight persons, including the owner of Basundhara Group and his two sons, have been accused in this case.

The six other accused are Basundhara Chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan alias Shah Alam and his two sons, Safiat Sobhan and Sadat Sobhan, its director Abu Sufian, Miah Nooruddin Apu and Kazi Solaiman alias 'Econo' Kamal.

Of them, Abu Sufian is now in custody, while the others are absconding.

The investigation officer prayed for attachment of property and issuance ofarrest warrants against the fugitives.

Metropolitan Magistrate Golam Rabbani sent the case records to the Metropolitan Sessions Judges' Court for trial.

On July 4, 2006, Sabbir was killed brutally and to suppress the matter, Lutfozzaman Babar allegedly demanded Tk 50 crore from the business tycoon. Of the amount, Tk 21 crore had already been paid.

Salimul Haque has also been made an accused in the case in which 28 persons have been listed as witnesses.

ACC Deputy Assistant Director Abul Kashem on October 4 last year filed the Tk 21 crore bribe case with Ramna Police Station.

The murder case was filed in 2006.

The chargesheet against Tarique, facing around a dozen corruption cases amid a purge in the interim period, was filed a day after his detained mother and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia was charge-sheeted in the Niko graft case.

Govt in difficulty to keep economy, society harmonious

The condition of Box Culvert Road at Bijoynagar in
the city is in so bad shape that the plying of vehicles
becomes risky. This photograph was taken yesterday.
FocusBangla

Pulack Ghatack

The Caretaker Government is in difficulties to project its income and expenditure limits for the next fiscal, as the budget formulating process is passing through a critical economic condition. To keep the economy and the society harmonious by increasing investment and employment generation side-by-side proper implementation of social safety net programmes is a challenge before the Government.

The budget deficit is a must to widen, as the Government will have to subsidise around Tk 16000 crore in various sectors with an enhanced allocations for agriculture, food and fuel in the next fiscal year, officials in the planning ministry hinted.

Allocation for subsidies in various sectors in the current fiscal years budget is Tk 6500 crore.

Gross expenditure in food budget would be doubled as the government is increasing the target procurement and prices of foodgrains are also higher.

According to a preliminary estimation the Government will have to spend Tk 3,210 crore in addition to its current spending in the next budget to increase salaries of public sector employees, sources said. Moreover, the Government needs to delineate its policy in the coming budget on how to tackle a long time food crisis that is looming large all over the world.

Economists have stressed a prudent macro economic management along with targeted income support to protect food entitlements and livelihoods of the most vulnerable.

They have recommended supporting the agriculture sector in a realistic manner and go for human security measures as far as possible given the price situation.

The deficit in the outgoing budget will go up to meet the increased expenditure for subsidy, social safety net programmes and inflated prices of fuel oil, they observed. The Government, however, expects that it would remain below 5 percent of GDP.

While talking to The New Nation former adviser of Caretaker Government Dr Akbar Ali Khan said the policymakers should keep the deficit at reasonable level, an extent only to help the distressed people.

"We should be careful about deficit, but, should not be intimidated by the fear of inflation," he said, adding, "The biggest challenge before preparing the budget is setting the level of deficit."

Inflation is eroding the buying power of people with little ability to pay more for food. That is a huge political worry for the Caretaker Government as rising costs threaten to create major social unrest.

Many people normally in present days are spending more than half of their monthly income to buy food. As food prices rise, the government will need to add a huge to its food aid budget in the coming fiscal year.

The Government needs to ensure that the price of oil and food should remain within reasonable limits.

The social safety net will have to expand for poor helping them to cope with soaring prices of daily necessities.

With food prices soaring, there are fears that the country could again be headed towards major strife.

With ever-rising fuel costs contributing to a sharp hike in world food prices, there are concerns that popular anger could spill into violent street protests.

The budget needs a long-term approach as the current spikes in international food prices may turn into consistent highs for a decade or more as demand grows with growing population.

The heads of three most leading world bodies have cautioned and projected a very bleak picture regarding world food situation.

Worldwide, food prices have soared 45 percent over the past year as surging oil prices make growing and transporting food more expensive according to the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

"All indications we have is that this is not a short-term effect," Jacques Diouf, director general of FAO, said recently.

At least 33 countries around the world are at risk of social upheaval as a result of acute increases in food and energy prices, said Robert Zoellick, president of the World Bank.

Army has no desire to join dialogue: Media urged not to confuse public mind

UNB, Dhaka

The Army Headquarters yesterday announced that it has no intention or desire whatsoever to participate in the planned dialogue between the caretaker government and political parties.

Also, the Army headquarters requested the mass media to refrain from making any imaginary and negative opinion out of their personal notion that might create confusion in the public minds about the Army.

An ISPR communiqué said the Army has been discharging its responsibility at the instructions of the government and extending cooperation towards holding fair elections under the incumbent caretaker government. "This cooperation will continue in future, if necessary."

The release said the role of the Army was praised by all quarters against the backdrop of the January 11, 2007 changeover. At the critical juncture of the nation, the Army at the instructions of the President came in aid to the caretaker government and subsequently participated in nation-building and different development and welfare activities.

"And this praiseworthy role of Army was reflected in different mass media, including newspapers of the country."

Recently, the release pointed out, various fictitious and confusing opinions are being published in editorials of different dailies, TV talk shows and open discussions.

It said in view of the state of emergency in place, even the Army chief at different functions and exchanges with editors of different mass media and interviews with local and foreign media gave a clear picture about the role of Army.

BB warns PCBs: Cut interest rate by June or face action

Staff Reporter

The Central Bank yesterday warned the Private Commercial Banks (PCBs) of stern regulatory actions if they fail to implement their commitment on reducing interest rate spread by June this year.

Deputy Governor of Bangladesh Bank, Nazrul Huda at a press briefing said that the regulator will strictly utilise the instruments its has unless the PCBs reduce the lending rates as per their commitment in two months. During the first week of March `08 the PCBs pledged to gradually reduce lending rates by an average of over 1 percentage point and committed to keep the gap between lending and deposit rates within 5 per cent.

According to Nazrul Huda the Bangladesh Bank could restrict expansion of branches and issuing licences for authorised dealer banks as regulatory instruments.

Nazrul Huda, however, appreciated that few banks have already reduced the lending rates to some extent, while some others also remained in the process.

The Bangladesh Association of Banks (BAB), an organisation of owners of private commercial banks, have already passed a plan to cut substantially the lending rates and various service charges as an initiative to reduce the cost of doing business.

Amid request from different quarters, the Central Bank has long been pressing the scheduled banks to reduce the interest rate spread through reducing the lending rates.

The regulator had series of meetings with the chief executives and the directors of the banks in this regard.

Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Better Business Forum (BBBF) on April 23, requested Bangladesh Bank to bring down, in two months, the interest rate spread within 5 per cent through moral persuasion.

"We're still putting only the moral pressure on the banks," Nazrul Huda said, adding that the Central Bank cannot impose the interest rates.

Replying to a question, he said the main target of the initiative is to bring down the lending rates for the productive sectors. "It will not be acceptable to us if they reduce the spread by bringing down the high interest rates on consumer credit."

Nazrul Huda said Bangladesh Bank also implemented another BBBF decision to enhance bank financing to SMEs as they issued a guideline to this effect on Monday.

As per the BB circular, the Central Bank would allow commercial banks to open SME service centres, with separate desks for women entrepreneurs to give them priority, to facilitate processing, disbursement, monitoring and repayment of installments related activities for SME lending.

Cyclone death toll tops 22,000 in Myanmar

AFP, Yangon

More than 22,000 people were killed in Myanmar's devastating cyclone, the government said Tuesday, with thousands more feared dead after the storm left rice fields littered with corpses.

Tens of thousands are still missing four days after the storm slammed into the southern coast, the government said late Tuesday as it announced the sharply increased death toll on state television.

Aid workers were racing to deliver food and water to the worst-hit Irrawaddy delta region, which was submerged by floodwaters, leaving scenes of utter devastation and desperate homeless survivors running low on food and water.

But with the clock ticking four days after the storm hit, Myanmar's reclusive military rulers insisted foreign aid experts would still have to negotiate with the government to be allowed into the isolated nation.

There were also fears that the death toll could rise further, with state media giving no details of casualties in three of the regions affected by the cyclone.

"According to the information as of 12 noon yesterday, 21,793 people were killed and 40,695 were missing in Irrawaddy division, while 671 were killed, 670 were injured and 359 people were missing in Yangon division," state television said late Tuesday.

The government also said it would proceed this weekend with a constitutional referendum as part of its slow-moving "road map" to democracy, except in the areas hardest hit by the disaster.

In its first news conference since tropical cyclone Nargis barrelled into the Irrawaddy river delta early Saturday, the government said many people died from a 12-foot (3.5-metre) tidal wave that slammed into the area.

Social Welfare Minister Maung Maung Swe told reporters that most of the town of Bogalay, one of the delta areas that bore the brunt of the storm's force, had simply been washed away.

"Ninety-five per cent of the houses in Bogalay were destroyed," he said. "Many people were killed in a 12-foot tidal wave."

Satellite images from US space agency NASA showed virtually the entire coastal plain of the country, once known as Burma and now one of the poorest nations on the planet, under water.

Christian relief organisation World Vision, one of the few international agencies allowed to work inside Myanmar, said its teams had flown over the most affected regions and witnessed horrific scenes on the ground below.

"They saw the dead bodies from the helicopters, so it's quite overwhelming," Kyi Minn, an adviser to World Vision's office in Myanmar's main city of Yangon, told AFP in Thailand by telephone.

"The impact of the disaster could be worse than the (2004 Asian) tsunami because it is compounded by the limited availability of resources on top of the transport constraints," he said.

Myanmar's pro-democracy opposition urged the ruling junta to provide "effective assistance" to those in need and said it was "extremely unacceptable" for them to go ahead with the referendum.

The National League for Democracy (NLD) said the regime had yet to provide meaningful assistance to hundreds of thousands of victims four days after the storm hit.

"We haven't seen effective assistance to storm victims, even though the authorities have declared (regions) as disaster zones," the National League for Democracy said.

Aid groups were rushing to bring food, clean water, clothing and shelter into the country, whose military rulers have long spurned most of the outside world-and prevented many aid groups from operating in the isolated nation.

In Geneva, the United Nations said it had a disaster- assessment team in neighbouring Thailand still awaiting entry visas-while the government underlined that foreign relief experts would not be allowed in automatically.

"For expert teams from overseas to come here, they have to negotiate with the foreign ministry and our senior authorities," Maung Maung Swe said.

Relief officials warned that as time went on, fears were mounting about the spread of disease-on top of the logistical problems of getting aid to many regions that are both remote and densely populated.

"Getting it out to the affected populations will be a major challenge, given that there is widespread flooding," said Richard Horsey, a spokesman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Bangkok.

"The urgent need is for shelter and for water. Without clean drinking water, the risk of disease spreading is the most serious concern."

Brigadier General Kyaw Hsan, the secretive regime's information minister, said the country was "greatly thankful" for the offers of help that have been pouring in.

But US First Lady Laura Bush, a longtime critic of the military that has run the country for 46 years, said the government had not done enough to warn citizens that the storm was approaching.

The UN's disaster reduction agency was also critical.

"Looking at the number of deaths, it leads us to think that an early warning system had not been put in place," an agency spokeswoman said. "Obviously many people did not have time to evacuate."

Tk 25 lakh snatched in city

Staff Reporter

A gang of snatchers decamped with about Tk 24.50 lakh from four employees of a plastic shop at Lalbagh in the city yesterday.

Police said when Sultan, 27, Titu, 28, Giasuddin, 28, Hasan, 29,- four employees of a shop of plastic products were going to deposit

Tk 24.50 lakh to Exim Bank at Imamganj branch on foot a gang of three muggers, coming in a motorcycle, approached them at Urdu road crossing at 11:00 am.

The snatchers grabbed the bag containing the money after stabbing Giasuddin.

When the local people rushed hearing the screams of the victims the muggers left the spot quickly exploding some cocktails.

The muggers left one of their motorbikes before fleeing. The angry mob damaged the motorbike and set fire to it.

Injured Giasuddin was rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

A case was filed with Lalbagh Police Station in this connection.

Phulbari coal mine issues: Army Headquarters denies involvement

BSS, Dhaka

The Army Headquarters yesterday denied involvement of the army with Phulbari Coal Mine as reported in a section of the press.

The attention of army headquarters has been drawn to a news report published in a number of Bangla and English dailies on May 5 involving Phulbari Coal Mine and members of the army, an Inter- Service Public Relations (ISPR) press release.

It was mentioned in the report that several army personnel in uniform asked the local people if they were ready to leave the area in exchange for compensation. The report also said the army is being used in the interest of foreign companies.

Clarifying the actual situation, the ISPR release said a trainee officer under National Defense College was doing a research in the area and his subject was 'Evaluation of Phulbari Deal: Search for Policy Option."

The officer prepared 14 questions and conducted a survey on 25 to 30 local people. The officer took help of the local army camp in this regard.

Besides these questions and research work, the army has no other link or involvement with Phulbari Coal Mine, the ISPR release said.

CA apprises President of next polls, political dialogue

BSS, Dhaka

Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed yesterday called on President Professor Dr Iajuddin Ahmed at Bangabhaban here.

During the meeting, the Chief Adviser apprised the President of the country's present food situation, holding of the next general election, proposed dialogue with the political parties and the Chief Adviser's planned address to the nation.

Press Secretary to the President Abdul Awal Howlader told the reporters after the meeting that the Chief Adviser apprised the President of the present food-grain stocks and Boro production in the country.

He also apprised the President of the preparation of the government in holding the next general elections by December this year in line with the roadmap announced by the Election Commission (EC).

Dr Fakhruddin informed the President about the proposed political dialogue with the national political parties in preparation of holding a free, fair and neutral election.

The Chief Adviser also briefed President Iajuddin about various aspects of his planned address to the nation, which is expected to be aired by the end of the second week of this month.

President Iajuddin gave a patient hearing to the Chief Adviser and expressed his satisfaction at the government's steps to hold the general election according to the roadmap.

He also expressed satisfaction as the government successfully faced the challenge of food shortage and suggested that the stock of food grain should be increased further in the country.

The President and Chief Adviser also expressed their gratitude to Almighty Allah for saving Bangladesh from the devastation of cyclone Nargis.

Military Secretary to the President Major General Mohd Aminul Karim, Secretary of the President's Office Md Sirajul Islam, Press Secretary to the Chief Adviser Syed Fahim Munaim and Press Secretary to the President Abdul Awal Howlader were present.

Official conspiracy on to disqualify me in polls, says Hasina

Staff Reporter

Reiterating her apprehension that she would not get justice, for what she claimed, official conspiracy to disqualify her in the election, detained former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said the Government was trying to hold hurried trial to punish her in "false graft cases".

Sheikh Hasina, also the President of the Awami League (AL), expressed gratitude to the people for putting their signature on the mass petition, submitted to the Chief Adviser, demanding her unconditional release. She also thanked her party leaders and activists for organising the signature-campaign.

She said this, while talking to lawyers yesterday morning, when she was attending a special court that was scheduled to hold charge hearing in the Barge Mounted scam case against her and other co-accused.

Disclosing this after the Court's sitting, Barrister Sahfiq Ahmed, the top counsel for Sheikh Hasina, said the corruption charge against the former Prime Minister was not maintainable as per certain sections of the CrPC since the case was framed 10 years after the occurrence of the incident.

"Sheikh Hasina renewed her hope to contest the general elections and lead her party's campaign as a free citizen if she gets justice in the on going trial," said Advocate Abdul Mannan Khan, who is also a counsel for her.

"She said those responsible for making her life miserable through the detention on baseless corruption charges would have to repent to her someday for, what she termed, their misdeeds" he added.

He quoted the former Prime Minister as saying, "They must keep in mind I am the daughter of the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. I did not commit any wrong during my rule."

"She said since Almighty Allah is with her, nobody can disregard peoples' expressed confidence in me," said Mannan Khan, who is also the central Office Secretary of the AL, quoting Sheikh Hasina as saying, "I must contest the elections. I hope people will elect me again to serve the country."

Barrister Shahfiq Ahmed further alleged that the prosecution did not submit before the Court all the case-documents, including reports of the tender evaluation committee and the technical committee, in order to misguide the judge in an attempt to maneouvre a judgement.

"The reports proved that those firms, which quoted the lowest construction cost, were awarded the Barge Mounted Plant contract and the former Prime Minister helped the nation save over Tk 300 crore," he claimed.

Denying the allegation, prosecution lawyer Advocate Shahim Ahsan Habib said, "The defence side was trying to delay the trial purposefully and everytime they attend the Court without consulting the documents that we have submitted before the judge earlier."

He said they would also submit the reports of the Technical Committee and the Evaluation Committee before the Court as the judge asked for that.

Meanwhile, the arraignment hearing on the Barge-mounted Power-plant Scam case was adjourned until May 12 following the submissions made by the counsel for Sheikh Hasina's co-accused Dr Toufique-e-Elahi Chowdhury, former secretary to the Ministry of Power and Energy, seeking for relieving his client from charge.

Gas block bidding: Petrobangla to receive bids from IOC today

UNB, Dhaka

The state-owned energy and mineral resource corporation Petrobangla receives today bids from international oil companies (IOCs) for offshore hydrocarbon exploration. Submission of bids will close at 1pm.

Some 24 companies have purchased bid documents. Petrobangla officials expect a good number of bidders would take part in the third round bidding.

The IOCs expected to take part in the bidding individually or jointly include Cairn Engenry, Santos of Australia, Chevron, Conoco Phillips, Houston, USA, CNOOC, China, BP Exploration Operating Company UK, Total of French, Korean National Oil Corporation, Mitra Energy Ltd, Malaysia, ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL) India and Talisman Energy, Canada.

Petrobangla floated international tender on February 15 to lease out country's gas blocks in the offshore areas which were divided into 28 blocks in two categories-shallow blocks and deepwater blocks.

Bangladesh is experiencing shortage of about 100 million cubic feet (mmcf) of gas per day against its demand for 1900mmcf. Apart from the official record, there is huge hidden demand for gas from the industrial sector.

Experts believe the shortage will be widening in the days ahead as there is no possible way to increase the production to meet the growing demand. Industry, power and fertilizer sectors are suffering from gas shortage.

They also believe the country will experience severe energy crisis after 2012. The existing gas reserve is estimated at around 8.0 trillion cubic feet (tcf), which would hardly meet the demand up to 2015. It has been estimated that to meet the energy demand up to 2025 around 24 tcf gas would be required.

According to Energy Ministry, the country would require at least US$ 8 billion investment in energy sector for development of hydrocarbon sector to meet the future demand.

Before floating international tender, the government prepared a model PSC (production sharing contract) 2008 detailing the terms and condition for the 3rd round bidding. The first round bidding took place in 1993 while the second round in 1997.

Petrobangla officials said it would take at least 8 years to get gas from new discoveries under the 3rd-round bidding. "We have set 8 years for conducting seismic survey, exploration and development of shallow gas fields and 9 years for deepwater gas fields," Petrobangla Director (PSC) Major (Retd) Muktadir Ali said.

He also said the present model production sharing contract (PSC) prepared for the 3rd-round bidding is different in terms of arbitration procedures. "We had to keep the arbitration provision in compliance with the Bangladesh Arbitration Act 2001 under which arbitration venue will be in Dhaka," he said.

Petrobangla Director Makbul Elahi said that in the 3rd-round bidding, the price of gas was proposed to be US$180 per metric ton while it was $120 in the first round of bidding and $140 in the 2nd round.

According to the offer, per-unit gas (1000 cubic feet) will cost US$4.50, which is similar to the price offered by Myanmar and India in their recent block bidding. India and Myanmar offer $ 4.5 to 5 per 1000 cubic feet. The price is lower compared to those in European and US markets.

Ex-MP Mokbul gets 13 yrs for illegal wealth

Staff Reporter

Former Awami League (AL) lawmaker Alhaj Mokbul Hossain was sentenced to 13 years in jail yesterday for amassing wealth illegally and hiding information about his assets from the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

The judge of a special court, set up in parliament compound, also fined him Tk 10 lakh. In default, he has to spend one more year behind the bars.

His wife Golam Fatema was also handed a three-year jail term in the same case for abetting her husband in acquiring the wealth by illegal means. She was fined Tk 5 lakh, in failing to pay the amount, she has to serve six months more in jail.

Assistant Director of the ACC Sheikh Fayaz Alam, also the investigation officer of the case, submitted the charge sheet against Mokbul and his wife before the CMM's Court, showing 25 people as prosecution witnesses on February 14 this year.

On August 16 last year, ACC Deputy Director Akhter Hossain filed the case against the Mokbul couple with Mohammadpur Police Station in connection with amassing Tk 1.92 crore through illegal means.

Govt bans rice export except aromatic variety

UNB, Dhaka

The Government yesterday banned the export of all varieties of rice excepting aromatic ones for next six months, as the domestic market of the staple remained overheated.

The Ministry of Commerce imposed the restriction through a statutory regulatory order (SRO) signed by a deputy secretary, Abu Sayeed Chowdhury. "The order comes into effect immediately." It is believed that the ban came as a precautionary measure against any rice crisis in future in the country while the price of rice is on the upturn on the international market.

For last one year, Bangladesh has been experiencing crisis amid rice-price rises on the local market, primarily because of crop loses for floods and cyclone.

Even within six months, the price has doubled despite huge import of food-grains from the international market.

However, this year, the country reaped a bumper harvest of Boro rice. Bangladesh annually produces about 26 million metric tonnes of rice and imports another 2.5 million tonnes to meet the demand of about 150 million (15 crore) people.

Last year, a cyclone and two spells of flooding in July-September destroyed 1.8 million tonnes of rice in the fields, forcing the government to import additional 2 million tonnes from international market.

A serious shortage has doubled the domestic price of rice to Tk 40 a kg since January last year.