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Bangladesh

PM again calls for all-party interim govt

2013-11-02

[Bangla Daily Star] Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina ...Bangla dynastic politician and current Prime Minister of Bangladesh. She has been the President of the Bangla Awami League since the Lower Paleolithic. She is the eldest of five children of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangla. Her party defeated the BNP-led Four-Party Alliance in the 2008 parliamentary elections. She has once before held the office, from 1996 to 2001, when she was defeated in a landslide. She and the head of the BNP, Khaleda Zia show such blind animosity toward each other that they are known as the Battling Begums.. yesterday reiterated that the next general election will be held as per constitutional provisions and power will be handed over to the next elected government. She was speaking at a views-exchange meeting with the leaders of Jatiya Party ...aka Jatiya Front; a political party established by Bangladictator Lieutenant General Hussain Muhammad Ershad in 1986 to lend a veneer of respectability to his rule. Since nobody was amused he was forced to resign by popular demand in 1990. The party remains in existence with about a dozen seats in Bangla's parliament... (Manju) at Gono Bhaban. JP-Manju Chairman Anwar Hossain Manju said his party will take part in the next polls if it is held as per constitutional provisions. "He [Manju] has assured us of joining the polls," AL Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif told The Daily Star after the meeting. The prime minister said, "We want to ensure political stability in the country permanently. For that, we want to hold the next election in a free, fair and credible manner under an all-party polls-time government comprised of elected representatives from different political parties."

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Bangladesh

Manju, Omar sent to jail on surrender

2009-05-07

[Bangla Daily Star] A Dhaka court yesterday sent Jatiya Party (Manju) Chairman and former communications minister Anwar Hossain Manju and ex-state minister for law Shahjahan Omar to prison after they surrendered before it in connection with two separate corruption cases.

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Bangladesh

12 bigwigs asked to surrender to trial courts

2009-05-04

[Bangla Daily Star] The High Court (HC) yesterday directed 12 persons, sentenced in absentia in separate criminal cases, to surrender before the trial courts concerned within two weeks. A special HC bench of Justice Md Imman Ali passed the order while disposing of 16 bail petitions filed by 12 convicts sentenced in 16 criminal cases most of which were filed by the Anti-corruption Commission (ACC). Those who will have to surrender before the trial courts are Jatiya Party (Manju) Chairman Anwar Hossain Manju, former state minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, former BNP lawmaker Nadim Mostafa, former AL lawmakers Haji Mohammad Selim, Mokbul Hossain, former BNP minister Saifur Rahman's son Shafiur Rahman Babu, Awami League leaders Md Mohiuddin, and Abu Hanif Patwari, Babul Chowdhury, Masudur Rahman, Sabina Suraya and Mafruza Sultana. Earlier on February 23, a HC division bench delivered split orders on the petitions. Lawyers concerned told newsmen that the convicts would have to surrender before the trial courts within two weeks after receiving the HC judgment. They said convicts, following the HC order, must be put in jail or surrender before the trial courts since those courts have no jurisdiction to grant them bail at this stage. Additional Attorney General M Enayetur Rahim yesterday told the newsmen that the special HC bench yesterday delivered the verdict in line with a Supreme Court order that on April 23 this year directed former state minister Shahjahan Omar to surrender before the trial court within two weeks in connection with a corruption case. Shahjahan Omar's case will stand as a pointer for about 70 others, mainly politicians and businessmen, who were handed down sentences for corruption after the 1/11 changeover. ACC's panel lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan yesterday told The Daily Star the ACC would file appeals with the SC against the HC orders for granting bails to other convicts sentenced in absentia but did not surrender to the trial courts and are not in jail. He earlier said that more than 100 people were convicted in the corruption cases and about 70 of them were tried in absentia. But most of the 70 convicts did not surrender to the trial courts.

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Bangladesh

Manju jailed for 13yrs

2008-08-27

A special court yesterday sentenced Jatiya Party (JP-Manju) Chairman Anwar Hossain Manju to 13 years' rigorous imprisonment (RI) for amassing wealth illegally and concealing information in his wealth statement submitted to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

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Bangladesh

Manju, family sued for graft

2007-07-27

Two graft cases have been filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) against former communications minister Anwar Hossain Manju, his wife Tasnima Hossain, their daughter Shima Hossain and another person. The cases were filed with Dhanmondi and Ramna police stations in the capital on Wednesday accusing them of taking Tk 1 crore and Tk 75 lakh in bribe from two construction firms. The other accused in the cases is Mahmood Hossain, executive director of Aegis Textile Mills Ltd. In the case filed with Ramna Police Station, ACC Assistant Director Sheikh Faiaz Alam said the accused persons in connivance with each other took Tk 75 lakh in bribe from China National Overseas Engineering Corporation sometime between February 13 and February 18, 2001 to get them secure work order of the Roads and Highways Department (RHD). Manju was then communications minister.

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Bangladesh

Tarique, uncle Shamim submit wealth reports

2007-06-11

Six more top corruption suspects including former prime minister Khaleda Zia's detained son Tarique Rahman and her brother Shamim Eskandar submitted their wealth statements to the Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) on the last day of the seven-day deadline yesterday. Tarique showed in his statement that he owns movable and immovable properties worth Tk 1.37 crore, and his uncle Shamim who was a Biman official declared that his wealth is worth around Tk 4 crore and 75 bhoris of gold. With yesterday's submissions, 13 including the six out of the 21 high profile corruption suspects on the ACC's second list of corruptionists now have their wealth statements submitted, while eight others applied to the commission seeking seven more days to submit their statements. The eleven others who also submitted their wealth statement are BNP's MAH Selim alias Silver Selim, former Awami League (AL) lawmaker Habibur Rahman Mollah, former BNP minister Shahjahan Siraj, former member of the Public Service Commission Prof Mahfuzur Rahman, ex-AL minister Syed Abul Hossain, ex-chief engineer of the Public Works Department AFM Monjurul Islam, film actor Monwar Hossain Dipjol, Editor and Publisher of the Bangla daily Janakantha Atiqullah Khan Masud, ex-additional inspector general of police Shahidullah Khan, AL's Sheikh Helal who is also AL chief Sheikh Hasina's cousin, and a pro-BNP doctors' association leader AZM Zahid Hossain. The eight who submitted prayers seeking an extension of the deadline are ex-BNP minister Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, ex-minister from Jatiya Party Anwar Hossain Manju, ex-BNP minister Ziaul Haq Zia, ex-AL lawmaker Kamal Ahmed Majumder, ex-AL minister Obaidul Quader, former chief forest conservator Munshi Anwarul Islam, Obaedul Karim of Orion Group, and AK Azad of Hamim Group.

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Bangladesh

Militant 'patrons' should quit govt

2005-12-27

Jatiya Party (JP-Manju) at a meeting with the prime minister yesterday said those who are accused of harbouring the militants should resign from the government and the administration for the sake of fair probe. Prime Minister Khaleda Zia assured the JP delegation that no one will be spared if the allegation against him of having links to the militancy is proved. That's only once it's proven, of course. In the meantime, they can remain at their desks, greasing the release of as many hard boyz as they please. No such thing as admin leave while under investigation, I'd guess... The 12-member delegation led by JP Chairman Anwar Hossain Manju also suggested the prime minister take measures to resolve the current political stand-off between the government and the opposition parties and hold talks on the opposition demand for reforms in the caretaker government and electoral systems. Referring to the Awami League led 14-party opposition alliance boycotting the national dialogue on militancy, the prime minister said, "I had invited all, but they did not come. Still I am ready to sit down with them." "All they gotta do is call..." "How can we hold discussion if someone doesn't even receive the invitation letter?" a JP leader quoted her as saying. In reply, the JP leaders requested her to continue the efforts to have the opposition at the negotiating table to discuss ways to hold the next election in a free and fair manner. Otherwise, they said, the elections will be meaningless. You don't get the impression that's the way it's supposed to be? At the meeting that went for about two hours, they also suggested the government take even tougher line on militants. "The government should take a deep look into the issue to find out whether the religious extremism is being carried to Bangladesh from other places," JP Chairman Anwar Hossain Manju said at the dialogue. No! You don't really think it might be, do you? Certainly not from Pakland or Soddy Arabia! Talking to reporters, Manju said he told the premier that she should take the initiative to have the opposition parties at the discussion table. JP Secretary General Sheikh Shahidul Islam said, "We don't have any specific information, but the government has. So they [the government] must act to curb the militants. We suggested that those who have been accused of militant links should resign from the government and the administration. A free and fair investigation is possible only if they stand down." On the first day of the dialogue, which began on December 12 amid boycott by the 14-party opposition alliance and pro-opposition professional bodies, Krishak Sramik Janata League suggested the prime minister purge ruling coalition partner Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh both from the government and the alliance for 'patronising the militant outfits'. Besides Jamaat, allegations have been levelled against a number of cabinet members of having links to the militants.

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