10-truck arms haul: CID seeks more time for further investigation

Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has sought more time for further investigation into the sensational 10-truck arms haul case.

Acting Metropolitan Sessions Judge Golam Sarwar fix November 25 for hearing on the petition filed by CID.
Assistant Police Super of the CID Md. Moniruzzaman, also the investigation officer of the case filed the petition with the court seeking 90 more days for further investigation.
State Prosecutor Kamal Uddin told banglanews that former State Minister for Home Affairs Lutfozzaman Babar has already confessed his partial responsibility of 10-truck arms haul incident.
On April 1 in 2004, police seized 10 truckloads of heavy arms and ammunition during unloading at the jetty of state-run fertilizer factory named Chittagong Fertilizer Limited (CUFL).
The CID arrested former State Minister for Home Affairs Lutfuzzaman Babar, two former directors-general of the National Security Intelligence (NSI)--Maj Gen (retd) Rezzakul Haider Chowdhury and Brig Gen (retd) Abdur Rahim--former director wing commander Shahabuddin, deputy director Maj (retd) Liakat Hossain, field officer Akbar Hossain, former managing director of CUFL Mohsin Uddin Chowdhury and general manager AKM Enamul Haque in this connection.
Some of them gave confessional statement under section 164 in the court.
-Bangla News

Primary terminal exam begins Tuesday

Primary Education Terminal Examination under all the education boards of the country begins on November 23 for a second time since the introduction of this public exam.

Primary and Mass Education Minister Dr Afsarul Amin unveiled all preparations for a smooth holding of the exam while addressing a press conference at the ministry Sunday.
“The government and all education boards have completed all-out preparations for holding the examinations in a congenial and peaceful atmosphere,” he told reporters.
Sources said this year a total of 215,715 students have registered for sitting the primary school terminal exams and 331,133 for primary-equivalent ebtadae exams.
The examinations will be held in 6,000 centers across the country and seven centres abroad.
As per schedule, examinations for six subjects will be held in six days up to November 29, with a break on November 26 for weekend holiday.
The minister hinted that the results of the examinations would be published in-between December 22 and December 27.
Replying to a question, the minister said, “Identifying the problems faced at the first time, the government has remedied those ahead of this (second) examination.”
Out of the total examinees, 55,000 will get scholarships “on the basis of merit”, the minister also disclosed at the news conference to boost up the students’ morale for cutting a good figure in the examinations.
Meanwhile, the last examinations of the Junior School Certificate (JSC) and Junior Dakhil Certificate (JDC), scheduled for November 14 but deferred to November 22 for the opposition BNP-called a dawn-to-dusk hartal for the day, will take place Monday.
This is the last one of the first-ever board examination for class-eight students, and the exam is on Mathematics.
-Bangla News

2 new corruption cases against Khaleda in the making

The Anti-Corruption Commission is up with preparation to sue former prime minister and BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia in two new graft cases.

Sources from among the cabinet members and the ACC confirmed the preparation for filing the couple of cases—in the wake of some fast developments in the country’s political arena.
The sources said the government would try its level best to tackle possible turmoil if it was created by the opposition BNP over the eviction issue of Khaleda Zia.
The government moves ahead in a planned way to thwart the threatened out-government movement following the eviction episode. To file the corruption cases against the opposition leader, Khaleda Zia, is seen as part of the plan as a last resort in the face of the onslaught.
An ACC source said, “Two separate cases about corruption may be lodged anytime on charges of mismanagement of the fund of Zia Charitable Trust and realizing Tk 100 crore in constructing the Bhairab Bridge.”
He added: “Begum Zia, a former premier and incumbent opposition leader, is the chairman of Zia Charitable Trust and her two sons-Tarique Rahman and Arafat Rahman Coco--are the members of the fund. However, no involvement of Tarique and Coco was found yet in the case of mismanagement of the fund.”
There are stipulated rules and regulations in collecting funds from the donors in favour of trusts. “But, violating the rules, a huge amount of money has been taken in the name of the trust,” the source said.
Moreover, the collected funds have been spent in another sector and there is no account book of the trust-management authorities about spending trust funds. “Signs by Khaleda Zia were found in the cheques for withdrawing money from the fund,” source further said.
The ACC sources informed that a part of the cantonment house from which Khaleda has been evicted recently has been allotted in the name of the trust.
On the other side, 45 decimal of land has been purchased with Tk 7 crore for the trust at Purana Paltan in the city. In fact, the price of the land was more than that. It was quoted in the stamp in a bid to evade taxes. It was also suspected whether the persons from whom the land was purchased are actual landowners or not.
ACC chairman Golam Rahman told banglanews, “Investigation is underway about the mismanagement of Zia Charitable Trust and realizing money in constructing Bhairab Bridge.”
The chief of the anti-graft watchdog body said, “It is not possible to say anything more than this.”
Replying to a query, the ACC chairman said, “We are working independently.”
-Bangla News

Court seeks police report on bomb hurling at CJ house by Dec 30

A Dhaka court on Saturday asked police to submit by December 30 the investigation report into the case filed against five leaders of the BNP for throwing cocktails at the main entrance of the official residence of chief justice ABM Khairul Haque on Thursday.
Metropolitan magistrate Zulfikar Haider set the deadline after receiving the information report of the case filed on Friday with the Ramna police station by sub-inspector M Zafor Ali against five leaders on charge of blasting bombs and conspiring to the attack the residence of CJ.

In the FIR, the police said that some people from a running car had thrown two cocktails on the house of the chief justice on Hare Road in the city at around 8:30 pm on Thursday.
‘They have a information that Juba Dal chairman Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal, Swechhasebak Dal president Habib un Nabi Khan Sohel, BNP Human Rights Affairs secretary Nasir Uddin Asim, JCD president Sultan Salahuddin Tuku and BNP secretary general Khandaker Delwar Hossain’s son Akhtar Hamid Paban were seen roaming in the area before and after the incident,’ said the FIR.
Police also said that they had seized some chemicals, leads packed tied with scotch tape and some pieces of marbles from gate 1 of the residence.
Sub-inspector MA Jalil was appointed investigation officer in the case.
‘We are trying to arrest the suspected bomb hurlers… We raided the homes of the five suspected persons but could not arrest any of them,’ Jalil told New Age.
Unidentified persons hurled cocktails when the chief justice and his family members were in the house, according to police. There was, however, no report of any casualties.
The bombs went off about 20 yards from the western side of the residence. Security guards could not spot anyone on the streets although they went out immediately after the blasts, police said.
-New Age

Yunus calls for dev of Ctg for better future

Nobel laureate Dr Mohammad Yunus has said Chittagong Port is an economic heart of the country and future of Bangladesh depends on it.

"If we exploit the vast potentiality of the country's premier port Chittagong properly, the eastern countries including China, India, Thailand, Myanmar, Nepal and Bhutan must come to us," Dr Yunus said this while speaking at a golden jubilee celebration marking the leading Bangla newspaper The Daily Azadi at Chittagong Club Auditorium Saturday.
Speaking at the function he said the Daily Azadi helped unite the people of all walks of life in this region irrespective caste and creed for last 50 years.
The founder of the daily Engineer Abdul Khaleque has left behind a legacy and a rich heritage of journalism through the daily.
-FE