The New Nation - Internet Edition

Rafiqul Islam Azad

There is no legal bar for convicted MPs-elect to take oath as members of Parliament, for the time being, but they might lose their seats if the court finds their candidatures invalid later on, according to leading jurists and lawyers on Friday.

MPs-elect of the Bangladesh Awami League are expected to take oath today (Saturday).

Asked whether there is any bar for the convicts in corruption cases, who contested the just concluded parliamentary elections and were elected members of Parliament in taking oath, eminent jurist Dr M Zahir said, "Definitely not, I do not see any bar for them from taking oath as MPs."

Barrister Shafiq Ahmed, Vice Chairman of Bangladesh Bar Council, told this correspondent that if they (convicts) were elected duly there was no bar for them to take oath.

Dr Shahdhin Malik, a panel lawyer of the Election Commission (EC) also gave the same opinion. He said they participated in the polls obtaining the interim orders from the Appellate Division.

But, he said, the cases are yet to finalise. Within the next two to three months the question as to whether their candidatures were valid would be resolved.

Dr Shahdhin also made it clear that if their nominations were finally found invalid, they would lose their membership of Parliament.

The Sushasaner Jonnya Nagorik (SHUJAN) at a press conference on Thursday disclosed that of the 299 MPS-elect, 92 were accused either in corruption or criminal cases. A number of them were also convicted.

Of them, 61 are from the Awami League, 17 from the BNP, 10 from Jatiya Party, 2 from JSD and 1 each from Jamaat and Workers Party.

Most of the accused took part in the elections as the cases pending against them were stayed. Some of them procured interim orders to contest the elections.

Of the convicts in corruption cases, one has been elected MP.