NEWS TIME DHAKA
  Dhaka Bangladesh An Indepth News Agency      Last Update: Monday, May 19, 2008  
 | Top Stories | Exclusive Stories | International | Sports | Culture | 
Top Stories
Bhuiyan, Shamsul land in jail after surrender

Newstime Correspondent

A Dhaka Court on Sunday sent two ‘fugitive’ former ministers, Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, also the expelled BNP secretary general, and M Shamsul Islam, to jail after they had surrendered in court in the GATCO scam case. Metropolitan sessions judge M Azizul Haque on Thursday issued warrants for arrest of the 12 accused, including former finance minister M Saifur Rahman, former LGRD and cooperatives minister Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, former agriculture minister MK Anwar, former information minister M Shamsul Islam, former industries minister Matiur Rahman Nizami, also the Jamaat-e-Islami amir, and former state minister for commerce Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, who were shown fugitive in the case.

Mannan and Shamsul surrendered in court after the High Court bench of justice Sheikh Rezowan Ali and justice M Rais Uddin in the morning refused to entertain bail petitions filed by Nizami, Shamsul and Anwar.

Refusing to entertain the petitions, the court said, ‘As the case has been put under the Emergency Powers Rules and the Appellate Division has already ruled that no court can hear bail petition in any case under the rules, this court now has no jurisdiction to entertain the petition.’

Shamsul and Anwar’s counsel Rafique-ul Huq and Nizami’s counsel Abdur Razzaque pleaded issuance of a direction on the law enforcers not to arrest the three till May 22 when the metropolitan sessions judge is scheduled to hear the case. The court said, ‘There is no instance of issuance of such directions after the issuance of warrants for arrest of the accused by a trial court.’

Rafique also moved the petitions for Shamsul and Anwar with the High Court bench of Justice Mirza Hossain Haider and Justice Mamnoon Rahman, but this bench also refused to entertain the petitions. Immediately after the High Court’s refusal, Mannan and Shamsul surrendered in the court of metropolitan sessions judge M Azizul Haque in the afternoon.

At about 3:30pm, Mannan wearing pajama and panjabi entered the courtroom amid heavy security and he was sweating sitting in a lawyers’ bench in the last row.

Ten minutes later, Mannan stood up when his counsel Golam Mostafa Khan told the court Mannan should be sent to jail as there was no provision for bail in the case under the Emergency Powers Rules. ‘I do not embarrass the court by seeking bail as you have no power to entertain the petition,’ Mostafa told the court. The counsel also argued for allowing Mannan to have division facilities and medical treatment in jail. Public prosecutor Ahsanul Haque Shomaji argued against the petitions for division facilities and treatment, saying only the jail authorities could consider the petitions for division facilities. After the hearing, the judge ordered Mannan to be sent to jail and asked the lawmen to take Mannan aside from the public as he was sick.

Soon after the court had left the bench, Mannan looked around him and could find none but some journalists known to him. Before being dragged into the prison van, Mannan shook hands with the journalists and said, ‘I surrendered in court to honour law and the court.’

Surrounded by a large number of lawmen, Mannan was taken into the prison van waiting outside the courtroom since the morning. Several hundred people were standing in queues, but none was allowed to reach him. Some onlookers had criticised Bhuiyan and dubbed him ‘collaborator’ and ‘cheat’ before he was pushed into the prison van. Some lawyers beat up two supporters of Mannan who protested against the comments and the police immediately controlled the situation. Half an hour later, Shamsul Islam surrounded by about 50 lawyers surrendered in court and sought bail, but the court ordered him to be sent to jail.

The police later took Shamsul into the prison van and then to jail at about 4:30am. The Anti-Corruption Commission on May 6 pressed charges against the 24 in the GATCO scam case. The investigation officer, Mohammad Zahirul Huda, also a deputy director of the commission, filed the

charge sheet, seeking warrant for the arrest of the 12 fugitive accused.

Warrants were also issued for arrest of former shipping secretary Zulfikar Haider Chowdhury, former Chittagong Port Authority engineer AKM Rashid Uddin Ahmed, Global Agro Trade Company directors Shahjahan M Hasib and AKM Musa Kajal, former shipping minister Akbar Hossain’s wife Jahanara Akbar and his son’s friend Ehsan Yusuf.

Charges were pressed against the 24 for the award of a contract to the incompetent and unfit firm, Global Agro Trade Company, to handle containers at the Inland Container Depot in Dhaka and at Chittagong port allegedly in exchange for money causing a loss of more than Tk 14.56 crore to the state exchequer.

Besides Khaleda and Arafat, 10 others, now facing charges in the case, are in jail. They are former health minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain, former state minister for energy AKM Mosharraf Hossain, former Chittagong Port Authority chairmen Zulfiquar Ali and AMM Shahadat Hossain, former CPA director (transport) MA Sanwar Hossain, its chief accounts officer Ahmed Abul Kashem, former CPA member Lutful Kabir, Global Agro Trade directors Syed Galib Ahmed and Syed Tanvir Ahmed, and former shipping minister Akbar Hossain’s son Ismail Hossain. Others accused are yet to seek bail or surrender in court which posted for May 22 the next proceedings in the case.

Nizami arrested in late night raid

Newstime Correspondent

Law enforcers on Sunday night arrested former industries minister and chief of the Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, Matiur Rahman Nizami, at his Bara Maghbazar apartment. Metropolitan sessions judge Azizul Haque on May 15 ordered his arrest as an accused in the GATCO graft case. Large contingents of police and intelligence personnel in plainclothes, led by deputy commissioner of Ramna zone, Atiqul Islam, cordoned off the Green Valley Apartment located at 493, Bara Maghbazar, Wireless Rail Gate at around 9:45pm.

Police officials along with some intelligence personnel in plainclothes entered his flat on the fourth floor of the apartment along with the warrant at around 9:55pm and came out taking Nizami with them at around 11:15pm.

Some three platoons of law enforcers took position in the surroundings as leaders and activists of the party gathered at the entrance to the apartment and the party office.

As Nizami walked towards the police vehicle parked 30 yards from his apartment, the party activists chanted slogans. The law enforcers also conducted a raid at the house of, MK Anwar, another former minister, at Elephant Road Sunday night but failed to nab him as he was out of home.

Meanwhile, Jamaat has announced a four-day programme of Nawfil fasting and feeding the poor across the country seeking divine intervention to protect the nation from ‘conspiracy and repression’, Jamaat secretary general Ali Ahsan Mujahid told a press conference at the party office Sunday afternoon.

Earlier on the day, two other accused in the GATCO scam case – BNP stalwarts Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan and Shamsul Islam – were sent to jail after they surrendered to the court.

Charged under the Emergency Power Rules that denies an accused bail, Nizami moved the High Court on the day seeking bail. The High Court, however, summarily rejected the prayer. Nizami’s counsel Abdur Razzaque then rushed to the Appellate Division seeking stay of the High Court order. The Appellate Division chamber judge referred the matter to the full court for hearing on May 20.