Khaleda’s nephew sued for graft

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) yesterday filed cases against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s nephew and a detained former state minister for amassing wealth beyond known sources of income and concealing information about it.
The commission in the last couple of days also approved filing cases on the same charges against former state minister Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir’s wife Sitara Alamgir, former superintendent of police Mojibul Haque, his wife Shahida Haque and son Shahidul Haque.
Yesterday’s cases were filed under sections 26 (2) and 27 (1) of the ACC Act and 15 d (5) of the emergency power rules.
Assistant Director Taufiqul Islam filed the case against Khaleda’ nephew Shahrin Islam Tuhin with Gulshan Police Station accusing him of illegally accumulating Tk 2.9 crore and concealing information about Tk 1.43 crore wealth.
The complainant in the first information report (FIR) said Tuhin in his wealth statement showed Tk 2.5 lakh “fake” business investment.
The former premier’s nephew submitted Tk 4.66 crore wealth statement on July 22 and also showed property purchased in his own name as business investment.
The FIR says Tuhin in the statement concealed information and gave false information by showing lower expenditure and lower price rates. He also did not mention wealth he possessed in his own name and in the name of his family.
The property shown in the wealth statement includes three houses worth Tk 46.74 lakh in Gomnati, Domar, and Nilphamari, 20 decimal land in Bhaluka, Mymensingh and bank balance of about Tk 6.67 lakh.
Tuhin also showed that he had spent about Tk 1.16 crore in expenditure for others purposes for him and his family.
The property Tuhin did not mention in the statement includes Tk 40.7 lakh he gave to Executive Motors for business purpose, while he showed Tk 2.5 lakh fake business statement with Daffodil Online Ltd.

CASE AGAINST REDWAN
Assistant Director Shahin Ara Momtaj filed the case against former state minister and LDP presidium member Redwan Ahmed and his wife Momtaj Ahmed.
In the case, the plaintiff said Redwan illegally accumulated Tk 2.31 crore and did not show property worth Tk 1.37 crore in his wealth statement.
Redwan submitted the wealth statement through jail authorities on August 14 following the ACC notice issued on August 7.
The statement shows lower prices of a plot in Uttara, a four-storey building in the capital on 7.21 decimal land and a two-storey building at Monihar in Comilla, the FIR says.
His concealed property includes two cars in his wife’s name, a car in his own name, four shops in Chandina in the name of his wife, son, two daughters and a daughter-in-law, and a Rajuk plot in the capital in his wife’s name, the FIR adds.
The FIR also says Redwan gave false information about Tk 2.2 crore saying his son Moyeen Ahmed donated him Tk 2 crore and he took loan Tk 20 lakh from his son in 1990.
But investigation revealed that Moyeen was only 13 then and the matter of money dealing with a boy at such an age is unacceptable, unbelievable and inconsistence, the FIR adds.
Momtaj was included in the case as she abetted her husband in accumulating and concealing the wealth.

FAO pulls for Dhaka amid global food crisis

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations has put Bangladesh and four other Saarc nations on the list of 37 countries facing food crisis and requiring external assistance.
In the list released Monday, the FAO urged the governments and the international community to take immediate measures to help the poor countries hit hard by dramatic food price increases.
According to Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), food price inflation was spiralling up by over 11 percent every month from July to October this year. In the urban areas, this inflation rate was over 12 percent.
According to the latest data of Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB), prices of most of the essential food items shot up by six percent to 116 percent over the last one year. Of them, price of the main essential item — rice — rose by 40 to 50 percent.
In this context, the FAO in a press release said, “FAO is calling for urgent action to provide small farmers in LIFDC (Low Income Food Deficit Countries) that depend heavily on food imports, with improved access to seeds, fertiliser and other inputs to increase, in particular, local crop production.
“Within countries, improved access to these inputs could be provided by issuing poor farmers with vouchers to buy seeds, fertiliser and other inputs for major staple crops, which should increase local food production. Such steps could help to alleviate the persistent threat of severe undernourishment of millions of people.”
The FAO noted that currently 37 countries are facing food crises due to conflicts and disasters. In addition, food security is being adversely affected by unprecedented price hikes of basic food, driven by historically low food stocks, droughts and floods linked to climate change, high oil prices and growing demand for bio-fuels. High international cereal prices have already sparked food riots in several countries.
It estimates that the total cost of imported food for the LIFDCs in 2007 will be around 25 percent higher than that in the previous year, surpassing $ 107 billion.
“Without support for poor farmers and their families in the hardest-hit countries, they will not be able to cope. Assisting poor vulnerable households in rural areas in the short term and enabling them to produce more food would be an efficient tool to protect them against hunger and undernourishment,” said FAO Director General Jacques Diouf.
The FAO listing shows that not only Bangladesh but also four other Saarc countries — Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Afghanistan– are facing severe food crisis.
Of them, Afghanistan’s food crisis stems from conflicts and floods. Nepal is suffering from market access problems and effects of conflicts and floods. Pakistan is facing after effects of the Kashmir earthquake, floods and cyclone, Sri Lanka that of the Tsunami, deepening conflicts and floods, and Bangladesh is facing the aftermath of floods and cyclone.
In Bangladesh, the livelihood of over 8.5 million people is adversely affected by the damage caused by the cyclone, FAO says.
According to the government’s estimates, the cyclone and two consecutive floods have caused a shortfall of 14 lakh metric tons (MT) of rice.
Estimates by the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) and Brac show this figure could go up to 20 lakh MT.
Bangladesh usually imports around 20 lakh to 24 lakh MT of food grains a year. Because of the shortfall this year, the import will hover around 35 lakh MT.
And due to the global scarcity of food and lack of interest of exporting countries, Bangladesh is also facing problems with import. The government has decided to import food at higher prices.
This means that food prices will continue to rise in the coming months.TCB data show that price of higher grade rice like Nazirshail, now selling at Tk 33 to Tk 39 per kg, increased by 50 percent over the last one year. In the last one month, it increased by nine percent.
Medium quality rice like Paijam now sells at Tk 27 to Tk 29 per kg — up by 42.5 percent in the last one year. Its price shot up by 5.5 percent in the last one month.
The lowest grade rice like Chinese Irri is selling at Tk 25 – 27 a kg, showing a 40 percent price rise in a year. In the last one month, its price rose by 8.33 percent.
Price of atta also marked a similar rise — 46 percent — over the last one year, now selling at Tk 35 to Tk 38 per kg. Its price remained static in the last one month.
Edible soybean oil now sells at Tk 86 to Tk 88 per litre, up by 40 percent in a year. Palm oil is selling at Tk 74 to Tk 76 per litre, up by 53 percent.
Lentil (Mushur) now sells at Tk 60 to Tk 80 per kg, six percent higher than the price a year ago and potato is selling at Tk 24-27, up by 21 percent.
Price of onion marked a 116 percent hike in the last one year, and now sells at Tk 25 to Tk 40 per kg.

Jalil finally sued over 6 months into detention

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) yesterday filed separate cases against Awami League (AL) General Secretary Abdul Jalil and former home minister Altaf Hossain Chowdhury for concealing information in their wealth statements and amassing assets beyond known income sources.
The anti-graft body also filed a case against Khandakar Akhtar Hamid Paban, detained son of Chief Whip Khandakar Delwar Hossain, on similar charges.
It filed another case against absconding Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Tapan Kumar Dey for not submitting his wealth statement in Chittagong.
ACC Deputy Director Enamul Haque Chowdhury filed the case against Jalil with Ramna Police Station for concealing Tk 65,29,229 in his wealth statement submitted to the commission and acquiring properties worth Tk 63,82,805 beyond his known sources of income.
The first information report (FIR) of the case said Jalil in his wealth statement concealed information about Tk 21.25 lakh he had spent building a house at Chakdeb in Naogaon, and Tk 33,72,715 he had spent building a hotel and a market in the same area.
The FIR said Jalil also concealed information about his wife’s gold ornaments worth Tk 3,29,500 and Tk 7.2 lakh spent for purchasing two cars.
It added that Jalil in his statement said he owns two cars but an investigation later found two more cars in the name of the former minister.
According to the FIR, properties Jalil has illegally accumulated include a three-storey building on eight decimals of land in Naogaon worth Tk 41 lakh and 61 decimals of land worth Tk 40,000 in Bhimpur of Mohadevpur.
The joint forces detained both Jalil and Altaf on May 28.
After arrest Jalil was taken on remand. He was admitted to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University on June 4 as he fell ill and was later shifted to Labaid Cardiac Hospital as his condition deteriorated.
In a letter sent to Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed, Jalil pleaded with the government for his release on health grounds. In the letter dated July 2, Jalil said he would quit politics if necessary.
The AL raised questions over the authenticity of the letter and wanted to hear about it from a “freed” Jalil. The AL general secretary has been detained under the Special Powers Act and no charges were brought against him until yesterday.

CASE AGAINST ALTAF
ACC Deputy Director Moniruzzaman Khan filed the case with Ramna Police Station for concealing information or giving false information about movable wealth of Tk 59 lakh and amassing wealth of Tk 2.56 crore beyond known sources of income.
In the FIR, it was mentioned that Altaf kept the wealth in his own name and the names of his wife Suraiya Akter and daughter Jubaida Akter.
Altaf in his wealth statement mentioned low price of assets he purchased in his and his wife’s name.
The FIR said Altaf gave false information about loans and did not mention anything about the five firearms worth Tk 2 lakh which he purchased between 1974 and 2002.
He also concealed information about three savings accounts with Standard Chartered Bank.
Altaf in his wealth statement said he had lent Tk 14 lakh to his wife Suraiya while she said her husband lent her Tk 17 lakh. He also said he purchased a jeep at Tk 8 lakh while the real price of the vehicle was Tk 20.17 lakh. Besides, he showed low price of the car he purchased in his wife’s name.
He also said he took loans of Tk 68.27 lakh adding that a loan of Tk 5.16 lakh was taken from Standard Chartered Bank in his own and his wife’s name.
Altaf Hossain submitted his wealth statement to the ACC on July 25 saying that he has wealth worth Tk 3.25 crore.

CASE AGAINST DFO
ACC Deputy Director in Chittagong Abul Kalam Azad filed the case with Double Mooring Police Station as Tapan did not respond to the ACC notice issued on October 28 for submitting his wealth statement, reports our CU correspondent.
The joint forces raided his office at Sholoshahar and seized about Tk 13 lakh on June 25. He has been absconding since then.