Entries from January 2008 ↓

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Trial of the extortion case against former premier and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina resumes today as the Supreme Court (SC) on January 24 cleared obstacles to holding the trial under the Emergency Powers Rules by vacating a stay the High Court (HC) had earlier imposed on the case proceedings.

The SC order came a week after the HC stayed proceedings of the case on January 17.

On January 27, Metropolitan Sessions Judge Md Azizul Haque fixed January 30-31 for trial in the Tk 2.99 crore extortion case filed by businessman Azam J Chowdhury on June 13 last year.

The trial resumes amid controversy raised over January 24 statement of Azam J Chowdhury when he claimed that he didn’t file the case against Hasina.

On January 17, the HC stayed proceedings of the case until disposal of a rule pending with an HC bench following an application filed by Hasina to that end.

Just couple of hours before the HC stay came, the trial court dealing with the extortion case fixed January 21, 22 and 23 for trial. The SC vacated the HC stay following an appeal by the government.

Earlier on July 30 last year, Hasina filed a writ with the HC challenging placing of the case under the EPR. The court issued a rule on the government to explain why placing of the case under the EPR should not be declared illegal. The rule is still pending with the HC.

The joint forces arrested Hasina on July 16. She was then produced in a magistrate’s court that sent her to a sub-jail on the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban complex. On the same day, the home ministry issued an order placing the case under the EPR.

The trial court framed charges against Hasina, her sister Sheikh Rehana and cousin former health minister Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim in connection with the case on January 13.

Azam J Chowdhury filed the case against Sheikh Hasina and former minister Sheikh Fazlul Karim accusing them of taking about Tk 3 crore in return for allowing him to set up a power plant during the AL rule 1996-2001.

Sheikh Rehana was also charged with taking a portion of the extorted money in the supplementary charge sheet. Rehana is being tried in absentia as she lives in London.

Meanwhile, following the statement by Ajam J Chowdhury, Hasina filed a petition with the High Court for quashing the extortion case against her on January 27.

http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=21210

Dhaka, Jan 24, 2008 (Asia Pulse Data Source via COMTEX) — PMHV | news | PowerRating | PR Charts — Managing Director of the power company East Coast Trading Pvt. Ltd Azam J Chowdhury denied having filed extortion case against former Prime Minister and Awami League president Sheikh Hasina, now on trial.

?I didn?t file any case against Sheikh Hasina. I don?t know how her name was implicated in the case,? the business tycoon told newsmen after attending the annual meeting of Prime Bank at Lakeshore Hotel at Gulshan in the city.

Azam, also chairman of the private bank, said that he filed the extortion case only against her (Hasina) cousin and ex-minister Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim who, he alleged, took the money from him.

The company boss quoted Selim as having told him that Selim had been sent by Sheikh Hasina, the then Prime Minister, to take the money that he paid in kickbacks on a power-plant deal.

He said that it is not proper to comment on it as it?s the matter of the court that would finally decide who is ultimately guilty and who is not.

Azam J Chowdhury filed the extortion case of Tk 2.99 crore with Gulshan police station on June 13 last year.

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The Awami League has demanded that its jailed president and former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina be released immediately after the man who charged her with extorting money denied having named her.

‘Our party chief should be released immediately after the confession of Azam J. Chowdhury that he had not filed any extortion case against Sheikh Hasina,’ said Awami League’s acting president Zillur Rahman.

‘There is no witness to the extortion case filed against our leader. We have been saying from the beginning that she is completely innocent. It will be injustice to keep her in detention anymore,’ Rahman told United News of Bangladesh (UNB) news agency.

An ailing Hasina, in jail since July 16 last year, has two corruption cases and a murder charge pending against her.

The media on Friday reported detailed assertions by Chowdhury who said he had never named Hasina, but her cousin and health minister in her government, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim.

Chowdhury held a press conference Thursday saying that her name was subsequently added by the officials investigating his complaint.

He alleged Selim had received three million takas (approx $500,000). Selim has denied this before the court.

‘What I did (say in the case) has been distorted and has not come to the public properly,’ he said, blaming the media for the ‘distortions’.

‘Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is the father of the nation and his daughter Sheikh Hasina is a former prime minister…A prime minister is a respected person. Why should I file a case against her directly?’ Chowdhury was quoted as saying in the New Age newspaper.

‘There has been a wrong perception about this case,’ he added.

Chowdhury filed the case on June 13 last year, alleging extortion from him for awarding a 210 MW power project contract. He is the local agent of a Russian company that won the contract.

Hasina and her Britain-based younger sister Sheikh Rehana are named in the police files.

The Awami League’s demand that their leader be freed came on the day the Supreme Court overturned a Dhaka High Court verdict staying her trial, and ordering its resumption.

A six-member bench of the appellate division, headed by Justice M. Fazlul Karim, passed the order, granting the government’s appeal against the high court order.

http://newspostindia.com/report-33244

DHAKA: The Bangladesh supreme court on Thursday allowed a lower court to prosecute detained former premier Sheikh Hasina for allegedly extorting millions of dollars from a businessman.

However, Azam J Chowdhury, the businessman who earlier claimed that the former premier extorted about three crore taka from him, told reporters that he has not filed a case against Sheikh Hasina.

A bench of the appellate division of the apex court chaired by justice Mohammad Fazlul Karim made the rule which allowed lower court to prosecute Hasina. The trial was earlier suspended on January 17 by a high court.

“I want to make it clear that I did not file a case against Sheikh Hasina,” petitioner Chowdhury said. Chowdhury said Sheikh Selim, Hasina’s cousin who is also a co-accused in the case, took the money from him in return for a deal and told him that he (Selim) would get the deal with the help of Sheikh Hasina.

“I had not paid the money to Hasina. Nor did she demand it from me,” he said. “Sheikh Hasina is the daughter of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and I cannot even think of suing her,” he said.

The high court yesterday began hearing the writ petition that has challenged the trial of the charges under emergency powers rules.

Sheikh Hasina was arrested on July 16 last year on a graft charge brought by Chowdhury where he alleged that she extorted about three crore Taka from him through her cousin Selim when she was in office during 1996-2001.

Chowdhury filed the case on June 13, alleging that he had paid the money to the accused as they threatened to cancel power plant project.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Rest_of_World/Bangla_SC_allows_trial_of_Hasina/articleshow/2729359.cms