Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) commissioner Zahirul Haque has disclosed that  the commission will start an investigation about the properties of 459 Bangladeshi nationals in Dubai. The commissioner said this in a discussion with journalists in his office in the head office of ACC. The High Court on January 15 ordered four agencies, including the Anti-Corruption Commission, to investigate. The other agencies are Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU), Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and National Board of Revenue (NBR). The HC bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Khizir Hayat  passed the order after hearing a writ petition in this regard. It asked the four agencies to submit the progress report within a month. Also read: 459 Bangladeshis’ properties in Dubai: Writ petition seeks probe The court also issued a rule questioning why the inaction of the authorities concerned should not be declared illegal. On January 12, Advocate Subir Nandi filed the writ petition attaching a report in this regard published in a national daily. According to the report, a huge amount of money has been transferred to Dubai from different parts of the globe including Bangladesh. Based on a report of US-based Centre for Advanced Defense Studies, the EU Tax Observatory said 459 Bangladeshis have purchased 972 properties in Dubai till 2020, concealing the information in their own country. Also read: 459 Bangladeshis’ properties in Dubai: HC orders investigation by ACC, 3 agencies According to the report, Bangladeshis have purchased the properties worth approximately one billion dollars during this period, making them one of the top buyers in the real estate sector of Dubai. Experts believe that huge amounts of money are being transferred due to the lack of effective and strong measures to stop money laundering, it said.    

A Narayanganj court on Thursday directed Detective Branch (DB) of police to investigate a case against 15 people including BNP’s secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir , joint secretary general Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal  and 13 others over making derogatory comments on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Narayanganj Senior Judicial Magistrate Kawsar Ahmed accepted the case and directed the district DB police to investigate it. On December 22, Md Akram Hossain Badal, president of Joybangla Muktijoddha Projonmo League central committee, as a plaintiff appealed to Chief Judicial Magistrate Shamsad Begum’s court for filing a case. Also read: Filing ‘fictitious’ cases now a regular matter: Fakhrul Moazzem Hossain Alal was made the main accused in the case. The other accused in the case are BNP’s Ishraq Hossain, Major Delwar Hossain, Nurul Haque Nuru, Major (Retd) Shahidul Islam Khan, Md Nure Ilias Ripon, M Rahman Masum, Atiqur Rahman Shobuj, Jahangir Alam, Rezaul Karim, Ilias Molla, Zakir Hossain, Sheikh Md Titumir Akash and journalist Ilias Hossain. Plaintiff’s lawyer Nurul Huda said as a freedom fighter the plaintiff could not bear such comments on the Prime Minister and filed the case against these 15 people. Also read: Govt conspiring to "kill" Khaleda: Fakhrul

The High Court on Wednesday formed a three-member committee to investigate the death of Tajul Islam at Haragach Police Station in Rangpur. The HC bench Justice Mamnoon Rahman and Justice Khandaker Diliruzzaman passed the order and asked the committee to submit its report within 15 working days. Headed by Rangpur District and Sessions Judge, the other members of the committee are—additional deputy commissioner and additional police commissioner of Rangpur. Read: Custodial death in Rangpur: HC orders police not to harass victim’s family, locals Advocate Jyotirmoy Barua stood for the petitioner while deputy attorney general Amit Das Gupta represented the state. On December 3, the High Court ordered police to submit a report on the custodial death of Tajul Islam. The High Court on November 24 ordered the Rangpur Metropolitan Police Commissioner to take steps so that that the victim's family and local people are not harassed over the death of Tajul Islam in police custody. The court then asked the state counsel to look into the matter. Following this, the matter came up for hearing on November 3. Tajul Islam, 55, a resident of Dalalhat village in Haragach union, was reportedly beaten to death by police at Haragach Natun Bazar on November 1. Tajul was detained with some drugs during police drive at Haragach Natun Bazar and he fell unconscious as police beat him up mercilessly.  Read: HC wants to know steps over Rangpur custodial death Enraged by the incident, locals cordoned off Haragach police station, threw brick chips at police and vandalized some vehicles. Police later fired rubber bullets and lobbed tear gas shells to disperse the protesters. On November 2, the High Court wanted to know the steps taken in connection with the death of Tajul in police custody.