The New Nation - Internet Edition

Obama fund raiser convicted of fraud: Scandal threatens US presidential race

Antoin Tony Rezko

AP, Chicago

A day after Barack Obama sealed the Democratic nomination for president, a corruption scandal involving a fundraiser who once bankrolled his campaign resurfaced to slightly dampen the festivities.

Chicago businessman Antoin "Tony" Rezko, 52, was convicted Wednesday of fraud, money laundering and aiding and abetting bribery in a plot to squeeze illegal payoffs out of firms hoping to do business with the state.

Republicans are already capitalizing on Rezko's ties to Obama, even though the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee is accused of no wrongdoing and his name was barely mentioned at trial.

"Today's verdict and Obama's friendship with Rezko raises serious questions about whether he has the judgment to serve as president," Robert M. "Mike" Duncan, chairman of the Republican National Committee, said in a statement.

Rezko's $8 million bond was revoked and he was taken into federal custody after the verdict in the nine-week trial that exposed a corrupt culture of payoffs and campaign finance abuses plaguing Illinois politics.

U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald said the verdict represented "an antidote to the poison of corruption" that trial testimony alleged included the fixing of state boards that controlled a $40 billion pension fund and made major decisions about million-dollar hospital construction.

The trial included explosive testimony about all-night drug parties involving the government's star witness and allegations that Gov. Rod Blagojevich personally discussed a state job for a campaign contributor.

Rezko has known Obama since he entered politics, raised money for his Illinois campaigns and was involved in a 2005 real estate deal with him. Obama has donated $150,000 in Rezko-related contributions to charity. He issued a statement saying he was "saddened" by the verdict.

"But now he has been convicted by a jury on multiple charges that once again shine a spotlight on the need for reform." Obama said.

Rezko's conviction also intensifies the spotlight on his relationship with Blagojevich. Though also not accused of wrongdoing, his reputation received a serious battering by the testimony. State lawmakers are already talking about impeachment and a primary fight is likely in 2010.

One witness said the governor - a Democrat in his second term - discussed a state payroll job for a campaign contributor with a $25,000 donation lying on the table. Another said Blagojevich spoke of big-money state contracts for those who helped him advance his political career - possibly as a presidential candidate.

A money management executive who wanted to invest state pension assets said he was told to sign a contract promising to pay a $800,000 fee to a consultant he had never heard of based in the Turks & Caicos Islands.

"That's the way the governor handles patronage here," he quoted a Chicago attorney who pressed him to sign the contract as saying.

Blagojevich has repeatedly denied taking part in any of the shadowy political dealings that witnesses described. On Wednesday, he read a statement to reporters in which he called Rezko a friend who had been his supporter.

"On a personal level I am deeply sad for what's happened to Tony," Blagojevich said. "The jury's decision is yet another reminder that ours is a system of government that is ruled by laws and not by men. I respect the decision of the jury."

Rezko, a Chicago real estate developer and fast-food entrepreneur, was convicted of six counts of mail fraud, six counts of wire fraud, two counts of aiding and abetting bribery and two counts of money laundering.

The jury acquitted him of three counts of wire fraud, four counts of aiding and abetting bribery and one count of attempted extortion. Rezko's sentencing was set for Sept. 3.

Defense attorney Joseph Duffy said he would pursue an appeal. "Mr. Rezko, on his own, decided that if he was convicted he wanted to immediately start serving his sentence," Duffy said.

Hasina’s bail prayer in Niko case rejected

Sheikh Hasina

UNB, Dhaka

A special court yesterday summarily rejected the bail prayer of detained former Prime Minister and Awami League president Sheikh Hasina in the Niko graft case.

Passing the order, Judge AK Roy said since the state of emergency is in place, there is no scope for entertaining the bail petition as the Emergency Power Rules (EPR) revokes the right to seek bail by an accused facing graft charges under the Corruption Prevention Act 1947.

Hasina filed the bail petition on June 1. The court also turned down impromptu, on similar grounds, another bail petition moved yesterday by a counsel for co-accused former state minister for power Prof Rafiqul Islam.

After passing the orders, the court, upon defence plea that they were still unprepared, again deferred the arraignment hearing to June 10.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Public Prosecutors, who were ready to open the case yesterday, opposed the repeated defence plea for deferment as "unwarranted".

They said relevant papers and documents relating to the Niko case are always available during court hours for examination by the defence counsel. So, there is no reason for granting time extension as "the prosecution also has certain limitations", they added.

As the court resumed at 10:07 am after Hasina, Prof Rafiqul Islam, the former state minister for energy and power, and its ex-secretary Dr Tawfique-e-Elahi Chowdhury were produced before the court amid tight security.

On December 9 last year, the ACC filed the case with Tejgaon Police Station against Hasina and others, accusing them of collaborating with one another and awarding gas- extraction work at Chhatak, Kamta and Feni gas fields to the Canadian company, Niko Resources, by cheating to gain personal financial benefit.

On May 7, the ACC submitted charge sheet against Sheikh Hasina and eight others for awarding gas-exploration-and-extraction deal to the Canadian company through alleged corruption and abuse of power.

It is also alleged in the charge sheet that the work was given to Niko in an illegal way without floating tender, allowing it to extract 1,794 billion cubic feet (bcf) of gas from a reserve of 2,834 bcf. This misdeal is said to have caused the country a loss of Tk 13,630.50 crore at the rate of the then price of each million-cubic-feet gas at Tk 75.9783.

BNP reunification a far cry: Delwar, Hannan Shah on collision course

Khandaker Delwar Hossain

ASM Hannan Shah

Shahidul Islam

BNP Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain has dissolved its powerful Dhaka city committee on Wednesday to weaken the rival reformist group of the party and his new challenger Brig Gen (retd) ASM Hannan Shah.

Party insiders said this yesterday adding that Khandaker Delwar's action consolidated his authority on the party machinery further.

"Like a season player, Khandaker Delwar dissolved the committee a day after his challenger BNP Chairperson's Advisory Council member Brig Gen (retd) ASM Hannan Shah publicly blamed him as the main obstacle to reunification of the party," one of the close aides of the BNP Secretary General said, adding that he had destroyed the prime fortress of reformist group at the same time.

Khandaker Delwar, who yesterday told a press conference that he had only carried out the detained party Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia's directive through liquidating BNP Dhaka city committee, did not face any trouble as city committee President Mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka and General Secretary Abdus Salam said they would accept the action if it was the party Chief's desire.

"The BNP Secretary General has successfully weakened the reformist group led by its Acting Secretary Maj (retd) Hafizuddin Ahmed and the possible emergence of new rival group in his own camp under the leadership of Hannan Shah," a BNP leader said.

An aspirant for the post of BNP Dhaka City Committee President, Brig Hannan Shah had an exchange of hot words with Khandaker Delwar publicly on Tuesday at a seminar organised by the party's cultural wing JASAS at the National Press Club, triggering a fresh polarisation in the already troubled party, which had become divided between the reformist and anti-reform faction in September last year.

Pointing his fingers at Khandaker Delwar, Hannan Shah alleged, "Some leaders, who had

remained silent covering their face with the 'blanket of party posts' during the most critical situation of the party after Begum Zia's arrest, have now emerged as "saviour" at the opportune time now" and trying to resist the reunification of the party.

"We will send the conspirators to the grave wrapping them up with white cloth (shroud) and implement Begum Zia's directives unifying the party," he warned.

He claimed that none other than he (Hannan) and party Joint Secretary General Gayeswar Chandra Roy use to maintain relation with Begum Zia when she was virtually under house-arrest.

General Gayeswar Chandra Roy, who has joined force with Hannan Shah, was also critical of Khandaker Delwar.

Reacting sharply, Khandaker Delwar, who was the Chief Guest at the function, termed Hannan Shah 'an agent of particular quarters' and said, "We will foil all designs as we did in the past".

The BNP Secretary General, however, refrained from making any comment against Gayeswar Roy.

Insiders said party leaders, including former MPs, and activists were started polarising them as a new "pro-unity" group led by Hannan Shah, for what he said, "To fight 'autocratic behaviour' and anti-unity stance of Khandaker Delwar Hossain."

When contacted, Hannan Shah in an interview with a private TV channel on Wednesday again alleged that Khandaker Delwar was promoting flatterers and installing his lackeys in the party and its front organisations' after expelling popular leaders and formers MPs.

"Khandaker Delwar is violating party constitution, which does not empower the Secretary General to expel or remove any leader from the party or its front organisations," he said, adding, "His house-NAM Flat had now become controversial like that of the Hawa Bhaban and acting as the main obstacle to the party unity."

"Some flatterers centring them at the Hawa Bhaban earned bad name for party's Senior Joint Secretary General Tarique Rahman when the BNP was in power and same things are being repeating now," Hannan Shah noted.

He charged, "Khandaker Delwar is running the BNP as per his whims without consulting any leaders."

When asked, Khandaker Delwar yesterday brushed aside Hannan Shah's allegations, saying, "I have never done anything without the directive of the party Chairperson."

"I have no desire to run the party without Begum Zia's directives," the BNP Secretary General reiterated at the press conference that was marred by scuffle between his and Hannan Shah's followers.

The personality clash between Khandaker Delwar and Hannan Shah surfaced first in November last year, when the former military commander claimed himself as "Coordinator of the BNP".

Dismissing the proposition immediately, Khandaker Delwar said, "The BNP constitution has no post named Coordinator. But, the party can appoint someone as coordinator for a particular programme."

The squabble between Khandaker Delwar and Hannan Shah surfaced publicly centring the interpretation of last Sunday's directives to the Secretary General by detained party Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia to allow reformist leaders to work from their own positions, stop purging them and reorganisation as well as unify the party as earliest as possible, insiders told The New Nation yesterday.

Begum Zia, appointed Khandaker Delwar the Secretary General expelling top reformist Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan moments before her arrest in a graft case on September 3 last year. She gave the said directives, when Delwar had an one-to-one meeting with her on Sunday, at the time of attending a Special Court for the first time for charge hearing in GATCO scam case.

Delwar attended the case as one of her lawyers and their meeting was held at a separate room in presence of other lawyers.

It may be mentioned here that Hannan Shah enrolled his name in voters' list from Dhaka city this year with hope to contest the upcoming City Corporation election as Mayor candidate or a party candidate from the Cantonment and Guslhan constituency of Parliament.

Hannan Shah became surprised at the sudden dissolution of the Dhaka city committee, as he could not oppose it since it was his proposal, a Delwar loyalist said.

Earlier last week, Hannan Shah had an one-to-one meeting with Khandaker Delwar at the latter's NAM Flat residence and demanded of the Secretary General to give him specific organisational responsibility.

Khandaker Delwar remained non-responsive to Hannan Shah's demand and adviced him to wait for an appropriate time during the meeting.

Sources close to the BNP Secretary General said he did not trust Hannan Shah since he believes the former military officer was arrested thrice after January 11 (2002) as part of a 'ploy' to 'divide the party. "And this is the reason Khandaker Delwar did not approve Hannan Shah's move to reunify the party formally through meeting with the reformist faction of BNP," one of closest BNP leader, who supports Khandaker Delwar told this Correspondent last night.

"The Secretary General told me that Hannan Shah is an agent of a particular quarter and he was trying to create a dent along with Speaker Barrister Jamiruddin Sircar," he added requesting anonymity.

Sources close to Hannan Shah said, "Khandaker Delwar, a former leftist like his predecessor Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, was apprehensive of losing his post if sit for a formal meeting with the reformist leaders accepting Hannan Shah's unity move."

"Why Delwar was not arrested for a single time if is so anti-government?" another Hannan Shah loyalist posed the question and added that there was no chance of an immediate rapprochement between Khandaker Delwar and Hannan Shah.

Anti-crime crackdown: 14,000 held so far

Relatives' rush at Dhaka CMM Court as a large number
of detainees, who were arrested during ongoing combing
drive, were produced before the court yesterday. Banglar
Chokh

Staff Reporter

Over 14,000 people, including leaders and activists of mainstream political parties, have been arrested by law enforcing agencies following the anti-crime crackdown launched across the country on May 28.

A press release issued by the Police headquarters yesterday said 1,679 people were arrested in the past 24 hours.The law enforcers also recovered

17 firearms, nine hand bombs, five cocktails and 53 rounds of bullet during the period, it added.

Besides, 41 motorbikes were seized for not having valid documents and 365 cases were filed under the Motor Vehicle Act during the last 24 hours.

Several hundred activists of Awami League and BNP, some municipal chairmen and members of local government were among those rounded up by the joint forces.

Police said the operation, part of the month-long special anti-crime drive targeting "terrorists, wanted criminals, gangsters and extortionists", was aimed at improving law and order situation ahead of the general elections scheduled for December this year.

In Nator, police arrested four alleged extremists from different areas in Naldanga Police station Wednesday night.

Police said four arrested, Arif, Quddus, Jaher Ali and Masud, were being interrogated in connection with police killing and arms looting incident at Taherpur in Rajshahi.

In Jhenidah, Police arrested four miscreants from Natun Hat Khola road in the town Thursday

Four arrested were identified as Omar, Khokon, Rahman and Arun, all residents of Khajura pourashava.

In Faridpur, the Joint Forces arrested three businessmen along with 33,000 litres of fuel and edible oil from Boalmari upazila headquarters on Tuesday midnight. They stocked the fuel and edible oil for smuggling out the country.

They also arrested owners of the godowns Shibu Adhikari, Bishnu Adhikari and Nishik Adhikari for hoarding the fuel and oil.

The arrested were sent to the jail. A case was filed against them under the Emergency Power Rules.

BNP for all-party movement

UNB, Dhaka

Former ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) yesterday called on all political parties, including its arch-rival Awami League, to start a united movement for salvaging the nation from a "grave crisis" and restoring democracy.

"No political party alone can overcome the current crisis. In the past too success did not come without united movement," BNP secretary general Khandaker Delwar Hossain told a press briefing at his NAM apartment, hot on the heels of his detained party chief and ex-premier Khaleda Zia's political salvo inside trial court.

Responding to Awami League acting general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam's rejection of movement with BNP and Jamaat, Delwar said "Ashraf sahib is a wise man" and hoped that he would not oppose unity. "For God's sake (Allaharwaste) and for people's interest don't oppose unity."

Holding out an olive branch to their traditional political foe, the BNP leader said, "We want unity for the interest of the election. If people vote for you (AL), you will go to power and we will sit in the opposition. We will have our understanding wherever we are and we will have no problem among us."

Delwar said BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia also spoke about the necessity of unity. "We've demanded the release of two leaders-Khaleda and Hasina-and we sought it for the interest of the country and democracy. We did not feel any hesitation for that."

He observed nowhere a non-elected government stays in power for such a long time. "They are taking this chance in Bangladesh."

The BNP leader termed the government's dialogue and commitment to election as a total drama. "They are staging mock show only to perpetuate their power with the help of an external force," he said, adding, "the government is showing us mirage and implementing its blueprint in the name of election."

Referring to Education Advisor Dr Hossain Zillur's comment that the dialogue is not only aimed at the election, Delwar said it reflects that the government has no intention to hold elections.

Turning to the January 11, 2007 changeover, Delwar alleged that '1/11' was staged under a well-thought-out plan to eliminate politics and destroy the country.

On crackdown on parties he said the government so long has "harassed" politicians in the name of anti-corruption drive and is now harassing the politicians in the name of anti-terror drive. He said most of the arrested people belong to BNP and Awami League.

Delwar apprised journalists that the BNP Dhaka City committee was cancelled at the instruction of Begum Zia. A new committee will be formed on Begum Zia's advice and in consultation with BNP city leaders.

Party leaders Dr RA Gani, Selima Rahman, Prof MA Mannan, Sarwari Rahman, Rizvi Ahmed and Shirin Sultana were present.

Osman Gani, wife jailed: Property worth Tk 3.6cr, 270 tolas gold to be confiscated

Osman Gani

UNB, Dhaka

Top forest-gobbler Osman Gani, caught for minting money out of country's forest resources, was yesterday sentenced to 12 years rigorous imprisonment for corruption.

A special court that deals with corruption cases under the current purge in the interim period, in it is judgment, also jailed his fugitive wife Mohsen Ara Gani for 3 years for aiding her husband in protecting his ill-gotten wealth.

The much-talked-about chief conservator of forests, who became an icon of the corrupt after a huge haul of money from his pillow and rice drum during his arrest, was convicted on two counts: amassing wealth illegally and concealing information about his fabulous assets.

Passing the sentences the court of Judge AKM Arifur Rahman fined Gani Tk 10 lakh and his wife Tk 1 lakh, failing which they will have to serve one year and six months more respectively behind bars. Besides, the court ordered confiscation of the convict's ill-gotten wealth worth Tk 3.60 crore and 270 tolas of gold to state coffers.

On December 17 last year, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) submitted charge sheet against the Gani couple, accusing them of amassing wealth by illegal means.

On July 26, ACC Deputy Director Golam Shahriar Chowdhury filed the case with Uttara Police Station for concealing around Tk 4.30 crore.

In the statement submitted to the ACC on June 26, the couple hailed from a southern coastal district showed their assets valued Tk 3,70,15,000. However, the ACC later found them owning more assets worth around Tk 4.30 crore.

On May 29 last year, amid a countrywide anti-corruption drive following the political changeover, army-led joint forces arrested Osman Gani at his Uttara house. During the raid, they found one-crore taka in cash hidden in the unusual places inside the house.

Fuel oil financing loan rises to $1.5b: IDB to give fund at 1.75 pc interest rate

Staff Reporter

Bangladesh will get loans from the Islamic Development Bank at 1.75 per cent interest rate to finance oil import, Finance Adviser Dr AB Mirza Azizul Islam said yesterday.

The bank also raised the amount of yearly loans to US$ 1.5 billion from US$ 1 billion for Bangladesh, Aziz told newsmen on his return from Jeddah after attending the 33rd annual meeting of IDB.

Bangladesh requested IDB to double its financing for fuel oil imports to US$ 2 billion from existing US$ 1 billion annually as the country is struggling to meet the increased requirement from domestic sources.

The annual conference of IDB has decided to set up a US$ 1.5 billion fund in the IDB over next five years to assist member countries, particularly the LDC members including Bangladesh, to deal with the food security issues in view of the global price situation.

The assistance will come partly in the form of budget support and partly as developing agriculture like irrigation facilities and importing agriculture inputs like fertiliser and irrigation pumps. "Details will be worked out later," the Adviser added.

About the possibility of raising oil price at home, the Finance Adviser reiterated that the he does not know when, and how, the price would be adjusted.

Mirza Aziz hoped that the inflation rate would come down to a single digit in the next fiscal year.

The Adviser said the government would take steps to boost purchasing power of people, particularly "fixed-income" group as they bore most of the brunt of rising food prices.

"The condition of low-income people was relatively better," according to him.

Government allowances for the elderly and widows benefited them a bit," he said.

The Adviser said the social safety net would be widened in the budget. A scheme will be undertaken to ensure employment of poor people.

"The government's main target should be to feed people. Development comes next," the Finance Adviser noted.

Government employees would get dearness allowances and there would be guidelines in the Budget for fiscal 2008-09 for employers in the private sector to increase the salaries of employees, he added.

On the price hike, the adviser said the government has cut import duty on many goods including rice and wheat to zero to keep prices stable, but prices remained unchanged.

"Budget cannot cut prices. What matters most is the global market. A review on the global market shows that the situation will remain in our favour in the coming days," he said.

Mirza Aziz said he did not have the precise figure of how much of the money siphoned outside the country had been brought back. "The retrieved money was deposited in the Bangladesh Bank," the adviser added.

Kolkata paralysed over fuel price rise

Internet

Communist and opposition parties in India are holding nationwide protests against a 10% rise in fuel prices.

The Communist-governed states of West Bengal, Tripura and Kerala are badly hit by a strike called by the parties who say the rise will fuel inflation.

The government says it had no choice because of surging global oil prices.

India imports nearly 75% of its crude oil requirements but subsidises the cost of domestic fuel products to help contain inflation and protect the poor.

India's Congress party-led government faces key state polls this year ahead of general elections due in 2009.

The BBC's Sanjoy Majumder in Delhi says the party is now worried about the political fallout from its latest move.

Communist parties, which support the government in Delhi, say more expensive fuel will push prices up across the board. Business leaders take a similar view.

In the states of West Bengal and Tripura, where the Communists are in power, there was a total shutdown, the BBC's Subir Bhaumik in Calcutta says.

The Communists as well as the main opposition BJP are also holding protest marches in the capital, Delhi, and other cities across the country.

Calcutta saw shops, markets, schools and colleges closed. All flights to and from Calcutta airport have been rescheduled.

Vehicles, including buses and trams, largely stayed off the roads and many staff at government offices did not go to work.

Many people had trouble getting to their destinations.

"I have to stand in a queue here in pouring rain after having walked two kilometres from my hotel," said visa seeker Sumitra Hazarika Gogoi outside the US consulate.

A protest against the rise in gas prices in Delhi on 4 June 2008

Many people are angry about the price rises Another strike, called by West Bengal's opposition Trinamul Congress, has been called for Friday.

In Tripura too, schools, colleges, shops and markets were closed and there was little traffic on the streets.

The US consul general in Calcutta, Henry Jardine, said the back-to-back strikes "reflects poorly on Calcutta".

Graft case: Salman Rahman, Kayes Shami proved not guilty

Court Correspondent

Businessman Salman F Rahman and former Managing Director of Arab Bangladesh Bank Limited CM Kayes Shami and 6 others were proved not guilty in a graft case filed against them on October 1 last year for using 6 forged and manipulated sale deeds to borrow money from Bank.

Other accused are: Md Abu Hanif Khan, another former Managing Director and M A Awal, former acting Managing

Director of Arab Bangladesh Bank Limited, former Branch Manager Towhidul Islam, Chairman ASM Rahman, Iqbal Ahmed, MA Kashem and Osman Kaiser Chowdhury, Directors of Beximco Holdings Limited.

Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) Assistant Director Md Mahbubul Alam filed the case with Motijheel thana of the city against the accused. He accused them of using 6 forged and manipulated documents in favour of the purchase of 151.51 acres of land which were mortgaged to Arab Bangladesh Bank for having a loan of Taka 151 crore 39 lakh. The accused have allegedly made illegal conspiracy for their mutual economic benefit through fraud and using their official capacity, which caused the sanction of the impugned loan.

Investigation Officer (IO), Deputy Assistant Director of ACC Md Mojibur Rahman made inquiry and found the loan was duly paid back. Besides, the Bank did not make any complaint against the borrowers.

Then the IO recommended discharging the accused in the case.

Tk 16,000 crore record subsidy in next budget

Pulack Ghatack

Subsidies in various sectors would eat up around Tk 16000 crore in the upcoming budget putting a serious pressure on the country's macroeconomic stability.

Despite minimisation of the annual development expenditure at Tk 25600 crore the budget deficit would widen to over 6 per cent of GDP, due mainly to higher subsidies in fuel, fertilizer and food.

The government will require to spend more than 15 per cent of its upcoming fiscal budget on subsidies, sources in the Finance Ministry told The New Nation yesterday.

In current fiscal year (July 2007 to June 2008), the Government exchequer is under huge pressure due to increased prices of fuel, food and fertilizer in the international market and therefore, the Government has to provide huge subsidies in order to keep these prices at acceptable levels.

The revised spending on subsidies shot up by 93 percent in the current fiscal to Tk 11600 crore from the originally projected Tk 5999 crore.

"We may have to set aside at least 15.5 per cent of our budgetary expenditure on subsidies in fertilizer, fuel and food in the next fiscal budget," said an official who is involved in the budget making process.

A 200 percent hike in fertilizer prices and almost 100 percent hike in food and fuel prices led to the record government spending in subsidies in the ongoing fiscal, as it sells the items far lower in the local market than the international prices.

However, some multilateral agencies such as the International Monetary Fund and the Asian Development Bank have long been pressing the government to shed its subsidy burden, warning that the country's fiscal management is now

under threat because of high borrowings to finance subsidies.

In the next budget the Government is likely to allocate Tk 5000 crore for diesel and fertiliser under the agriculture sector, outside the purview of oil import uner BPC, a Government official told this correspondent.

In the current year the budgetary allocation for diesel and fertiliser under the agriculture sector was Tk 2,250 crore. But the revised import target of urea and non-urea fertiliser in the current fiscal by the agriculture ministry will need another Tk 1,765 crore subsidy.

The government would almost double its allocation to provide subsidy in food items, which would rich at Tk 1100 crore, sources said.

The subsidy allocation was Tk 300 crore in the original budget of the current fiscal year. Later Tk 400 crore was added with it to cope with price spiral food and loss of food production due to cyclone and floods.

The power sector got allocation of Tk 1200 crore subsidy in the outgoing fiscal. It would about 1500 crore in the current fiscall year.

The Government will also continue cash subsidy for some export sectors, which was scheduled to be phased out in the outgoing fiscal year.

Acid violence Home Adviser orders re-inquiry into 79 cases

Staff Reporter

Adviser for Home Affairs Maj Gen (Retd) MA Matin yesterday ordered re-investigation into 79 sensational cases filed in connection with the incidents of hurling acid.

The order for re-investigation was given to find out how the accused got bails in these sensational cases, the Home Adviser told reporters following the 17th meeting of the National Acid Control Council at the conference room of the Ministry of Home Affairs yesterday.

He said the police administration was asked to take necessary measures investigating why the acid-hurling incidents were increasing day by day.

Matin said some 180 cases relating to the incidents of throwing acid were filed. Of these, charge sheets in 101 cases were submitted to the courts, while decision was taken to re-investigate the rest 79 cases.

"Acid violence has increased alarmingly throughout the country in recent time," he said.

The Adviser said a monitoring cell has already been set up at the Police Headquarters to monitor whether the investigation and reviewing of the cases filed under the Acid Crime Repression Act 2002 and Acid Control Act 2002 is properly being carried out or not. The Monitoring Cell has also been asked to strengthen the supervision of the investigation of each acid hurling case. Besides, decision was taken at the meeting to ask the deputy commissioners concerned to send the lists of licenced and non-licenced acid users in their respective districts.

The meeting also directed to apprise the Ministry of Home Affairs if any licence was cancelled according to the Section 17 of the Acid Control Act 2002.

For fair investigation into the acid-hurling cases, the meeting ordered police administration to submit the medical certificates of the acid victims to the Ministry of Home Affairs after examining them properly.

AL rejects BNP call for united movement

Staff Reporter

The Awami League yesterday instantly rejected the BNP's proposal for launching a united movement to release their respective party chiefs-Sheikh Hasina and Begum Khaleda Zia-and overcome the current political crisis.

The Awami League (AL) Presidium, the highest policymaking body of the party, rejected the proposal mooted again yesterday by BNP Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain at a press conference earlier in the day.

AL Acting General Secretary Syed Ashraful Isalm disclosed this, while briefing journalists yesterday evening after a meeting of the party Presidium at the Gulshan residence of its Acting President Zillur Rahman, who presided over the sitting.

"There is no possibility of launching united or simultaneous movement

with the BNP, which had killed people, promoted fundamentalism and militancy when in power," he said

Spurning the overtures Ashraf said, "The Awami League will never forge unity with the patron (BNP) of the war criminals and fundamentalist forces."

He also blamed the BNP-Jamaat alliance for the January 1 (2007) /11, as they tried to hold the January 22 general elections through their hand-picked partisan Election Commission.

He said the AL has unity with 14-party alliance and the people. "So, we don't need unity with others," he asserted.

Ashraful said Delwar was a seasoned politician and he worked with him for 11 years in Parliament. He made the appeal personally. "I don't want to rebuke him though he attacked me personally," he said.

Ashraf made it clear that Delwar's words are not enough to make unity. "Moreover," he said, "Awami League and BNP have basic ideological differences and there is no point for such unity."

He was also critical of the crackdown across the country and aid, "The Government is intentionally harassing the people specially the Awami League leaders and activists to gag their voice, as they sought for the release of the detained political leaders, including Sheikh Hasina in the party's extended meeting on May 26."

"The crackdown is designed to make the political situation murky and this may cause to prolong the political deadlock in the country," he warned, adding, "The Government is arresting the AL leaders and activists to make the dialogue fruitless and to make the upcoming parliamentary election uncertain."

He termed the case filed against AL Presidum member Tofail Ahmed false and fabricated. "The Government has filed the case to tarnish Tofail Ahmed's image and to disgrace him politically and socially."

Asked about the issues of the presidium meeting he said, "We have discussed about the mass-signature campaign that is scheduled to begin tomorrow and the tour programmes of the Presidium members across the country."

All the Presidium members were present at the meeting, which was started at 6.30pm and ended at 9.00pm.

Crack in DU Mohsin Hall

DU Correspondent

A five-member experts team visited the Haji Mohammad Mohsin Hall of the Dhaka University yesterday to examine the cracks on the ground floor of the dormitories.

The team headed by Prof Istiak Ahmed of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) took photographs of the vulnerable parts of the ceiling for detail scientific test. The team will submit its report shortly, sources said.

Resident students of the hall are living in panic as cracks were found few months back at this dormitory. The hall authorities installed wooden logs to support the ceiling.

Cracks were also found at other two halls- Rokeya Hall and Jagannath Hall. The authorities have already declared the ' Honours Building ' of Rokeya Hall 'abandoned' and asked the students to shift to other building.