Dhaka Court
Dhaka court indicts Dr Yunus, 13 others in graft case
A Dhaka court today framed charges against Nobel laureate Dr Yunus and 13 others in a case over embezzling Tk 25.22 crore of the Grameen Telecom Workers' welfare fund.
Dhaka’s Special Judge's Court-4 Judge Syed Arafat Hossain passed the order after rejecting a petition for excluding names of the accused from the charges, said the defendants’ lawyer Barrister Abdullah Al Mamun.
The court also set July 15 to take testimony from the witnesses, formally beginning trial in the case, he said.
Dr Yunus and the other accused are now on bail and they pleaded not guilty, demanding justice while the court was framing charges, said the lawyer.
Read more: US says it will continue to encourage Bangladesh govt to ensure a fair legal process for Dr. Yunus
On February 1 this year, the investigating officer of the case, ACC Deputy Director Gulshan Anwar Pradhan, submitted the charge sheet against Dr. Yunus and 13 others.
The court accepted the charges against them on June 2 after a hearing in this regard.
The 13 other accused in the case are: Grameen Telecom MD Nazmul Islam; Director Ashraful Hasan, former MD Parveen Mahmood; Najnin Sultana, Shahjahan, Noorjahan Begum, and S. M. Hazzatul Islam Latifi, all serving as directors; along with Advocate Yusuf Ali; Advocate Zaforul Hasan Sharif; Md Kamruzzaman, President of the Union of Grameen Telecom Employees; Firoz Mahmud Hasan, General Secretary; Kamrul Hasan, office secretary of the Employees' Union office, and representative Mainul Islam.
Gulshan Anwar, the Deputy Director of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), filed the case as the primary complainant on May 30, 2023.
Read more: Law is taking its own course: Hasan Mahmud says on Dr Yunus case
Tipu-Prity murder: AL leader Ashraf, 32 others indicted
A Dhaka court on Monday (April 29, 2024) framed charges against 33 accused in case over the killing of Awami League leader Zahidul Islam Tipu and a female college student in Shahjahanpur area around two years back.
The trial in the case began formally through framing the charges.
Dhaka Special Judge Court-Judge Ali Hossain passed the order after rejecting an appeal for excluding the names of the accused from the charges.
The court also set May 21 to record testimony of the witnesses in the case, public prosecutor Md Rafik Uddin said.
On April 25, a hearing on the appeal for exclusion of the accused was held while the court set April 29 for framing the charges against the accused.
3 of a gang arrested for manipulating stock market: DB
Dhaka Metropolitan South unit Organizing Secretary of Awami League Golam Ashraf Talukder, Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) ward councillor and Awami League leader Maruf Ahmed Mansur, expelled president of ward No 10 Jubo League Maruf Reza Sagor, Motijheel Thana unit of Jatiya Party leader Juber Alam Khan Robin, former convenor of Habibullah Bahar College unit Chhatra League Sohel Shahriar, former general secretary of Motijheel Thana unit of Chhatra League Khairul Islam Matbor and former president of ward No-11 unit of Jubo League Kamruzzaman Babu, Sumon Shikder Musa, Masum Muhammad Akash were among the accused.
On the night of March 24, Tipu, who was on a microbus, and Samia Afrin Priti, a 22-year-old college student, who was returning home on a cycle rickshaw were killed in firing in front of Islami Bank Hospital at Shahjahanpur in Dhaka.
Tipu was a former general secretary of the AL Motijheel committee and Priti was a student of Begum Badrunnesa Government College. Tipu’s driver was also injured in the firing.
They were all stuck in a traffic jam in the area when a biker wearing a helmet and a mask appeared from nowhere and fired at them.
HC wants to know the number of Rohingya voters in Cox’s Bazar
The next day, a case was filed against unidentified people over the double murder.
On June 5 last year, the investigation office of the case submitted a charge sheet against 33 people.
Fakhrul, Khasru may walk out of jail this afternoon
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Standing Committee Member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury are anticipated to be released from Keraniganj Central Jail following their lawyers' efforts to withdraw the production warrants against them in all cases.
Barrister Mahbub Uddin Khokon and Advocate Masud Ahmed Talukdar, representing the BNP leaders, have initiated the legal process for the withdrawal of the production warrants. This comes after both leaders obtained bail in all cases, as confirmed by Sairul Kabir Khan, a member of the BNP chairperson's media wing, to UNB.
“The necessary legal steps are being taken following the provision that allows for the withdrawal of production warrants issued for the leaders to be presented in court while incarcerated,” the lawyers stated.
Read: Fakhrul, Khasru secure bail; no bar to walk out of jail
Work on withdrawing the production warrants has already begun, with expectations that if completed by noon today, the BNP leaders could be released. The documentation related to the withdrawal is hoped to be finalized by Thursday evening.
Advocate Masud mentioned that 13 production warrants had been issued against Fakhrul, highlighting the legal hurdles faced. However, Advocate Syed Joynal Abedin assured that there are no obstacles to their release as bail has been secured in all cases.
The context for the anticipated release follows a Dhaka court's decision on Wednesday to grant bail to both Fakhrul and Khasru in connection with a case filed over the vandalism of the Chief Justice's residence during a BNP rally on October 28 last year. The Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judges Court's acting judge, Faisal Atiq Bin Quader, approved the bail upon reviewing their petition.
Read: Usurping power AL govt showing arrogance: Rizvi
The case was filed by the police on October 29, accusing 59 BNP leaders and activists, including Fakhrul and Khasru, of vandalism and assault during the rally. In total, 11 cases were filed against Fakhrul and 10 against Khasru related to violence surrounding the rally. Fakhrul was detained on October 29, and Khasru on November 3, both from their residences in Gulshan.
‘Lobbyist-backed’ statement on Dr Yunus won’t impact FDI, Hasan Mahmud says
Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud on Thursday (January 25, 2024) said any statement “backed by lobbyists” on Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus would have no adverse impact on foreign investment inflow into the country.
“Look, there are several lobbyist firms engaged behind some people who are talking on the Dr Yunus issue. Investment will not be impacted if a statement is backed by lobbyists,” he told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Foreign Minister said Dr Yunus has been in the discussion over the last 12 years and Bangladesh still received significant foreign investment.
Read: China is an important dev and strategic partner of Bangladesh: PM Hasina
“Foreign investment is increasing. There is no relation with that. This is simply a legal matter,” said the Awami League joint general secretary.
He reiterated that Dr Yunus has been sentenced in a case filed by the aggrieved people, and the government is not a party to it.
“With due respect to Dr Yunus, I would like to say that aggrieved people filed the case. The government is not a party to it. It is a decision taken by the court. The government cannot interfere in it,” he said.
Earlier, a Dhaka court sentenced Dr Yunus and three top officials of Grameen Telecom to six months’ jail, with fine of Tk 25000 each, in a case over violation of labor law.
Read: Russian Ambassador hopes Dhaka-Moscow relations will continue to thrive
The others accused in the case are: Ashraful Hasan, CEO of Grameen Telecom Trust; trustee Nurjahan Begum; and managing director M Shahjahan.
They were accused of not making some workers and employees of Grameen Telecom permanent, not encashing public leave, and not depositing certain dividends to the Workers Welfare Foundation.
In the 84-page verdict, the judge said the charges of violating labor laws were proved against them.
The court, however, granted them conditional bail.
Dr Yunus claimed that he had been punished for a crime he did not commit. “I have been punished for a crime that I haven’t committed,” Yunus told reporters after he was convicted in a case over violation of labor law. “If you want to call it justice, you can.”
Read more: Dr Yunus appointed chair of Moscow Financial University’s international advisory board
PK Halder gets 22 years’ jail for money laundering, amassing wealth
A Dhaka court on Sunday (October 8, 2023) sentenced disgraced director of International Leasing and Finance Service Ltd (ILFSL) Proshanto Kumar Halder, also known as PK Halder to 22 years’ of imprisonment in a case over amassing wealth and money laundering.
Thirteen other accused in the case were sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment each.
Judge of Dhaka Special Judge Court-10 Mohammad Nazrul Islam delivered the judgment.
The 13 convicts included Sukumar Mridha, Anindita Mridha, Avantika Baral, Shankh Bepari, PK Halder's mother Lilavati Halder, Purnima Rani Halder, Uttam Kumar Mistri, Amitabh Adhikari, Pritish Kumar Halder, Rajib Som, Subrata Das, Anang Mohan Roy and Swapan Kumar Mistri.
Read: Court fixes October 8 to deliver verdict in graft case against PK Halder, 13 others
Of them, Sukumar Mridha, Anindita Mridha, Avantika Baral and Shankh Bepari were present on the dock during the delivery of the judgment.
Earlier on October 4, the court set October 8 for delivering verdict upon ending arguments from the both the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and the defendants.
Mamunur Rashid Chowdhury, assistant director of Dhaka Integrated District Office of the ACC, filed the case against PK Haldar for acquiring around Tk 275 crore illegally on January 8, 2020.
According to the case statement, PK Halder acquired wealth worth almost Tk 275 crore beyond known sources of income through illegal activities and kept them in his possession.
Read: India to hand over PK Halder to Bangladesh?
The ACC investigated the case and submitted a charge sheet to the court. In the charge sheet, the anti-graft watchdog accused Halder of laundering CAD 1.17 crore to Canada through illegal means.
A Dhaka court framed charges against the accused on September 8, 2021.
On May 13 this year, India's federal economic offences police arrested PK Halder and his two associates from the eastern state of West Bengal. He is now in an Indian jail.
Read more:Trial of graft case against PK Halder begins
Bank recruitment test question leak: BUET Prof Nikhil, 15 others indicted
A Dhaka court today (July 24, 2023) indicted 16 people, including BUET Professor Nikhil Ranjan Dhar, in a case filed over the question paper leak of bank recruitment examination in 2021.
Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Md Tofazzal Hossain passed the order to frame the charges against Nikhil Ranjan Dhar and 15 others.
Before that, the magistrate dismissed the petitions submitted for discharging Nikhil and others from the charges in the case.
Read: Bank recruitment question leak: BUET professor Nikhil show caused by authority
The recruitment test for five state-owned banks was held on November 6, 2021.
Sub-inspector Sukant Biswas of Tejgaon Zonal Team filed a case at Badda Police Station under the Public Examinations (Offences) Act following the question leak on November 10 the same year.
On November 21 that year, BUET removed Prof Nikhil Ranjan Dhar from the post of head of Industrial and Production Engineering Department and also relieved him of all exam responsibilities.
In December, 2021, BUET authorities asked Nikhil to explain his involvement in leaking the questions of recruitment exam for five Banks.
Read: Appellate Division orders Dr Yunus to pay NBR Tk 12 crore tax on donations
On November 16, 2022, Shamim Ahmed, a sub-inspector of the Detective Branch (DB) and the investigation officer of the case, submitted the charge sheet excluding Prof Nikhil as an accused.
Earlier this year, a Dhaka court summoned the investigation officer to show cause why and how he relieved Prof Nikhil from the charges.
Following that, investigation officer Shamim submitted a supplementary charge against Nikhil to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court of Dhaka.
Dhaka court rejects father’s petition; Japanese mother gets custody of 2 daughters
A Dhaka court on Sunday upheld the order of the family court that gave Japanese mother Nakano Eriko the custody of her two daughters.Dhaka District Judge AHM Habibur Rahman Bhuiya upheld the family court order after rejecting the appeal filed by the Bangladesh-born US citizen Imran Sharif, father of the two children.Advocate Sishir Monir stood for the Japanese mother while Advocate Nasima Akter Lovely for Imran.
Family court awards custody of daughters to Japanese motherExpressing dissatisfaction over the court order, Advocate Nasima Akter, said they will file a petition against the court order.Earlier on January 29, Durdana Rahman, judge of Dhaka's Second Additional Assistant Judge and family court provided the custody of the two children to the Japanese mother.Shishir Monir, lawyer of the Japanese mother Nakano Eriko, said the court dismissed the case filed by Imran Sharif to keep his two children in his custody. So, the two children are going to stay with their mother, and she can also take her daughters to Japan.The two children are not allowed to go abroad until the case is settled, said Advocate Nasima.
2 kids to stay with Japanese mother until deposal of case at family courtAfter 12 years of marriage, on January 18, 2020, Eriko, a physician, appealed for divorce from Engineer Imran Sharif over marital dispute.On January 28, 2021 she also filed a case with a Tokyo family court for custody of their three children.But on February 21, Imran returned to Bangladesh with the first two girls from Japan. Meanwhile a Japanese court passed a verdict putting the children under their mother’s custody.On August 19, 2021 - days after coming to Bangladesh - Eriko filed a writ petition before the High Court here seeking custody of the two girls.
2 kids to stay with Japanese mother till Feb 6: SCOn November 21, 2021, the HC bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman ruled that the Japan-born daughters of Imran and Eriko would stay with their father.However, the mother could exclusively meet the daughters, aged 11 and 10, three times a year for 10 days at a time and Imran, the father, will bear her travel and accommodation expenses, said the court.On February 13 last year, the Appellate Division ordered that the custody of the two girls will be decided by the family court and until then the two children will remain with their mother.Eriko tried to leave Dhaka with her two daughters on December 23.She was turned away by the police from the airport after she tried to take the children in defiance of court orders.
Dhaka court sentences Arav Khan to 10 years' jail in arms case
A Dhaka court on Tuesday (May 09, 2023) sentenced Mohammad Rabiul Islam alias Arav Khan, a Dubai-based gold dealer, to 10 years' rigorous imprisonment in an arms case filed in January 2015.
Judge Murshid Ahmed of Dhaka Metro Special Tribunal-14 passed the order this noon, in absence of Arav Khan.
In addition to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment, Arav Khan was sentenced to a fine of Tk 10,000, in default of which he will have to serve another three months' imprisonment.
Assistant Public Prosecutor (APP) AKM Salahuddin confirmed the development.
Read: Inspector Mamun murder case: 4 testify against Arav Khan, 7 others
Earlier, on March 28, the court heard the testimonies of 10, out of 20, witnesses. Arav Khan could not claim his innocence as he was absconding.
According to the prosecution, Arav Khan was arrested in January 2015, with a loaded revolver from Dhaka's Moghbazar area as he went to his father-in-law Sekendar Ali’s house to collect money at gunpoint.
On the same day, Sujan Kumar Kundu, the then Sub-inspector of DB West's Car Theft Prevention and Rescue Team, filed a case against Arav Khan with Ramna Model Police Station under arms act.
DB Police Sub-inspector Sheikh Hasan Mohammad Mostafa Sarwar, also the investigating officer of the case, submitted the charge sheet against Arav Khan to the court on March 1, 2015. The tribunal framed charges against him on May 10.
Read: Hero Alam ready to help DB find Arav
He was granted bail in the case on March 14, 2018. The court issued an arrest warrant against Arav Khan on October 24, 2018 declaring him as "fugitive".
Nafiz Alam, who appeared in DW documentary, arrested from Dhaka’s Bashundhara
Police on Sunday (April 09, 2023) night arrested Nafiz Mohammad Alam, who was interviewed in a recent Deutsche Welle (DW) documentary on RAB, from his home in Bashundhara residential area of Dhaka.
Officer-in-charge of Bhatara Police Station Asaduzzaman told UNB that police arrested Nafiz in a case filed under the pornography act.
Tipped off, a team of Bhatara police carried out a raid at Nafiz's residence in G block of Bashundhara Housing on Sunday evening.
Read More: DW documentary: US hopes Bangladesh will examine allegations against RAB
Foreign alcohol, one laptop, one motorcycle and a mobile phone were seized during the raid.
Sub-inspector Riyad Ahmed of Bhatara Police Station filed a case against Nafiz with the police station under the Narcotics Control Act, said the OC.
He also said Nafiz was accused in three cases and there was an arrest warrant against him filed with the police station under the pornography act.
Read More: Death in Custody: RAB quizzes Jasmine's son and brother-in-law
Replying to a question, the OC said that Nafiz has been produced before a Dhaka court.
2 militants’ escape from Dhaka court: Wife of a militant arrested
The wife of one of the two convicted militants who fled Dhaka court with the help of other militants has been arrested from Narayanganj.
The arrestee is Shikha, wife of Md Abu Siddique Sohel alias Sakib alias Sajid alias Shahab.
Tipped off, a team of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit (CTTC) conducted a drive in the area and arrested Sikha from Narayanganj on Friday night.
Details about the arrest will be disclosed through a media briefing.
Read more: 2 militants who escaped from Dhaka court will be arrested any time soon: DB Chief
Two militants- Md Abu Siddique Sohel alias Sakib alias Sajid alias Shahab and Moinul Hasan Shamim alias Samir alias Sifat alias Imran- were sentence to death in publisher Faisal Arefin Dipan murder case.
They managed to escape Dhaka court premises with the help of some other militants after using pepper spray on policemen on November 20, 2022.
They are members of the banned militant outfit Ansar al-Islam.