Law
week
Justice delayed, justice denied
*Over 2,000 children killed by toxic paracetamol between 1980-92
*Corruption sabotaged the criminal cases
*Never-ending High Court stay orders prevent cases coming to trial
*Families kept in heart-breaking wait for justice in one of the worst ever crimes
*One case reopens today upon STAR inquiry; one company was not even prosecuted, two other cases stuck in stays, another acquitted
Manufacturers of adulterated paracetamol syrups, which caused the deaths of as many as two thousand children sixteen years ago from fatal kidney disease, have escaped punishment due to an extraordinary combination of corruption and mismanagement in the Directorate of Drug Administration (DDA) and other government agencies, an investigation by The Daily Star reveals. - The Daily Star, November 11, 2008.
Govt told to suspend all WB-funded projects
The World Bank has asked Bangladesh to put on hold all local procurement activities under WB-financed projects since the amendments made to the Public Procurement Act (PPA) 2006 are not consistent with its procurement guidelines. In a WB letter to Finance Minister AMA Muhith, the WB has suggested that Bangladesh government "temporarily" suspend all local procurement activities under projects financed by WB until the financing agreements concerned are "amended with agreed new parameters" in order to minimise any possible disruption in project implementation. - The Daily Star, November 11, 2008.
AL constitution still not RPO-proper
The Election Commission (EC) decided to ask the ruling Awami League (AL) to further amend the party constitution as it still contains provisions in conflict with the Representation of the People Order (RPO). It also decided to ask three other parties--Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Samyabadi Dal and Jatiya Party (JP-Manju) -- to include new provisions in their constitutions to meet the criteria for registration, EC officials said. -The Daily Star, November 10, 2008.
Judges must not become CMLA
Attorney General Mahbubey Alam urged the Supreme Court to pass some observations so that none of the SC judges becomes the Chief Martial Law Administrator (CMLA) in future in order to uphold the constitution and democracy. Without citing the name of then chief justice Abu Sadat Muhammad Sayem, he said an SC judge had become president and the CMLA violating the constitution and democratic principles after the assassination of president Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1975.
- The Daily Star, November 10, 2008.
Moshtaque was key plotter
Khandaker Moshtaque Ahmed was the most-heinous betrayer, hypocrite and deceiver in the history of the world as he conspired to kill the father of the nation under whose shelter he was doing politics, the attorney general (AG) told the Supreme Court. Moshtaque was the biggest beneficiary of the killing of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman since he became the president of Bangladesh after the incidents of August 15, 1975, said AG Mahbubey Alam. - The Daily Star, November 9, 2008.
Anti-crime drive counts more on unwanted means
The present government believes, like its predecessors, that "crossfire", "encounter" and "gunfight" are effective means to combat criminals, especially outlaws, home ministry sources said. As a result, extra-judicial killings continue unabated despite widespread criticism by human rights organisations. There have also been instances of killing wrong people, often innocent, just because of flawed tip-offs from Rab's sources. The death of Kaisar Mahmud Bappi is a clear enough evidence of this. Rab picked Bappi after a source had identified the BCom graduate as a notorious criminal. The elite force killed Bappi in its own controversial style on September 9. -The Daily Star, November 9, 2008.
Bashundhara's out-of-court settlement bid rejected
The National Board of Revenue (NBR) didn't accept the appeal of Bashundhara Industrial Complex Ltd for negotiating their tax-evasion case outside court, as the company's owners have already been convicted while on the run abroad. Official sources said the NBR in its 20th board meeting held with its chairman Dr Nasiruddin Ahmed in the chair stopped short of entertaining the company's plea. The NBR sources said the meeting ended inconclusively without a decision regarding the Bashundhara issue, which was on top of the meeting agenda.- The Daily Star, November 9, 2008.
149 out on bail, stay ominous
Law enforcers fear around 150 suspected or convicted militants who are now out of jail may embrace militancy again as there were no motivational programmes in the prisons. Police sources say 149 of those released either on bail or on completion of jail terms were arrested on charge of their link to banned Islamist outfit Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB). The sources add some of them were acquitted of the charges as investigators either did not get any evidence of their involvement or failed to prove the charges in the court. - The Daily Star, November 8, 2008.
Cell phone crime goes unabated
All efforts of detectives to track down criminals involved in extortions and issuing various threats over cellphones are going in vain due to their use of fake registration for mobile SIM cards and fake international mobile equipment identity (IMEI) numbers. Despite rise of extortions and death threats using cellphones by criminals, law-enforcers and Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) can do nothing against them as the authorities concerned can only lock those SIMs. Detective Branch (DB) officials said they were forced to request the BTRC authorities for taking immediate measures to deal with the problem when it turned alarming. - The Daily Star, November 8, 2008.
Lawmakers form action group on climate change
Lawmakers from coastal constituencies formed "Bangladesh Climate Change Action Group" in a move to address the adverse impact of climate change. "People in the coastal areas are bearing the brunt of natural disasters that prompted us to form the forum in the face of the inevitable consequences of climate change," said ASM Firoz, whip of parliament and an elected member from Patuakhali. Firoz has been selected as convener of the forum. The group is expected to have around 50 members, all elected from the southern region. - The Daily Star, November 7, 2008.
Corresponding with the Law Desk
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