The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Mahbubey Alam, Senior Advocate was yesterday appointed Attorney General, the chief law officer of the government, following the regime change through the general election.

President Dr Professor Iajuddin Ahmed made the appointment yesterday a day after AG Salahuddin Ahmed stood down following the change of the government.

"The appointment will be effective until further order," says an official announcement.

In an instant reaction after his appointment, the 60-year-old Alam, a former President of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) and rights activist, told reporters that he would be able to discharge his responsibilities with the cooperation of all.

"I hope I would be able to discharge the responsibilities vested in me as the chief law officer of the Republic in continuation of the spirit in which the whole nation united during the 1971 Liberation War," said the new AG.

Alam, who takes office at a time when the state is party to a plethora of high-profile cases under the recently launched countrywide purge, sought cooperation of all in discharging his onerous duties.

After taking over charge, the new AG at a press briefing said that he would make effort to bring back the public money laundered by the bigwigs during the immediate-past BNP-led alliance government and keep special vigilance to prevent domestic wealth from being smuggled out.

"I want sincere cooperation of all quarters to ensuring the rule of law in the court arena," said Alam.

About new appointment of government attorneys at his office, the AG said mere political considerations sans efficiency, like in the past, would not be repeated. "I would recommend only those lawyers eligible for government law officers considering their quality, integrity and professionalism."

Thirty six years in legal profession, Alam received the appointment letter at 2:30 pm at his SC Bar building cubicle.

He was enrolled as an advocate and started practice at Dhaka Court in 1973. In course of time he was enrolled as a senior advocate of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on May 27 in 1998.

Born in Mouchhamandra village under Louhajang police station in Munshiganj district on February 17, 1949, he did his BA (Hons) in Political Science and MA in Public Administration at Dhaka University.

Alam, who was former Additional Attorney General (1998-2001), also attained two Diplomas in Constitutional Law and Parliamentary Institutions and Procedures in 1979 from the Institute of Constitutional and Parliamentary Studies (ICPS) in New Delhi, the capital of India.