The High Court on Sunday sought a list of people who have laundered money from Bangladesh.

It also asked the authorities concerned to inform the court about steps taken to bring back laundered money.

Apart from these, the bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Mohi Uddin Shamim also issued a ruling seeking explanation from the authorities concerned on why it should not order investigation against those named in the Paradise and Panama papers.

Also read: High Court asks for list of Bangladeshi ‘money launderers’ with dual citizenship

It also asked why the inactivity of the authorities concerned to bring back laundered money should not be declared illegal.

The ruling came after the court heard a writ petition filed by lawyers Abdul Qaiyyum Khan and Subir Nandi Das. 

Khan took part in the hearing on behalf of the petitioner. Advocate Khurshid Alam represented the Anti-Corruption Commission while Attorney General AM Amin Uddin and Deputy Attorney General AKM Amin Uddin Manik stood for the dtate.

Also read: File report on money launderers by Feb 28: HC

March 30 has been fixed as the next date of hearing.

Fifteen people, including secretaries to Prime Minister’s Office, finance, commerce, foreign affairs, home, and law; the Attorney General, Anti-Corruption Commission, Bangladesh Bank governor, and police chief, have been asked to respond to the ruling.

In the ruling, the court asked why it should not order forming a separate team to investigate money laundering and issue order to bring back laundered money or recommend formulating new law to this end.

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ACC lawyer Khurshid told the court that the authorities concerned are investigating those whose names appeared in Panama and Paradise papers. Abdul Awal Mintoo and Moosa Bin Shamsher are among these people, he said.

The authorities concerned – including the foreign and home ministries, immigration police, Bangladesh Finance Intelligence Unit (BFIU) – have been informed about bringing back laundered money from the Swiss Bank, he said.

The High Court (HC) on Wednesday fined Aziz Co-operative Commerce and Finance Credit Society Limited Tk 10 lakh, for wasting the HC’s time by not operating a writ petition after filing it.

The bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Mohi Uddin Shamim passed the order.

Aziz Co-operative has been asked to pay the money within three months, said Deputy Attorney General AKM Amin Uddin Manik, who stood for the state.

In 2017, Aziz Co-operative chairman Md Tajul Islam filed the writ petition seeking directives for no cases to be filed against the entity without the approval of the Cooperative Department registrar.

On May 8, 2017, HC did issue a rule to this effect, directing that no case should be filed against Aziz Co-operative, for the writ petitioner to be spared any harassment and that no  negative news on them be published without proper investigation.

The HC was scheduled to hear the writ petition on Wednesday as it was on the cause list; but the petitioner said he was not willing to operate the writ any further.

Advocate Md Tariqul Islam stood for the Aziz Co-operative, Advocate Khurshid Alam represented the Anti-Corruption Commission and advocate Ajmalul Hossain for the Bangladesh Bank.

The High Court (HC) on Wednesday issued a rule seeking an explanation as to why a policy should not be formulated for the state to provide rehabilitation facilities as well as compensation to rape victims across the country.

The bench of Justice Md Mozibur Rahman Miah and Justice Md Kamrul Hossain Mollah passed the order after hearing a writ petition filed in the form of public interest litigation.

The rule asked why rape victim three children-(one from Dinajpur, four years old from Rangpur and another nine years old from Khulna) should not get adequate compensation.

Secretaries to the Home Ministry, the Women and Children Affairs Ministry and Health Ministry were made respondents, and asked to respond within four weeks.

Advocate Abdul Halim stood for the writ petitioner.

Children Charity Foundation filed the writ petition on January 2.

Abdul Halim said around 97 percent accused in rape cases get acquittal as the state fails to  adequately prosecute them based on evidence and testimonies.  

Children who suffer rape see their childhoods disrupted severely, while their studies also go off track. 

Rehabilitation facilities for rape victims enjoys universal approval, and when it comes to compensation, the writ mentioned the precedence of the Indian Supreme Court directing a state government to pay Rs 10 lakh in compensation to a destitute woman who was raped, Halim said.

Several newspaper reports over violation of children were attached with the writ petition.

The Appellate Division of Supreme Court on Monday upheld the life term imprisonment of two convicts for killing Rakib Hawlader, a minor boy of Khulna city, in 2015.

A three-member Appellate Division bench led by the Chief Justice passed the order rejecting the appeal of the convicts.

Deputy Attorney general Bishwajit Debnath stood for the state.

Also read: 3 get life term for murder in Kushtia

According to the case statement, Rakib died after his former employers inserted a high-pressure air pump nozzle into his rectum at a motor workshop on August 3, 2015.

The high air-pressure tore the 12-year-old boy's intestines, rectum and bladder causing profuse internal bleeding in his stomach.

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On November 8, 2015, Khulna Metropolitan Magistrate Court awarded death sentence to the convicts Omar Sharif and his uncle Mintu Khan for the murder.

Each of the convicts was also fined Tk 50,000.

Also read: One to die, five get life term for killing Kishoreganj farmer

On April 4, 2017, the HC commuted the death sentence of two convicts to lifetime imprisonment, after the duo appealed challenging the lower court verdict.

Later, they again filed a review appeal with the Appellate Division of Supreme Court challenging the HC order.

A Kishoreganj court on Monday sentenced six people, including two women, to life imprisonment for killing a housewife in Mogolpara village of Karimganj upazila in 2011.
  
The convicts were identified as – Lutfu alias Rukon, 30, his cousin Sharif, 22, his uncle Sohrab, 45,  his aunt Josna, 40, Muslim, 55, and his wife Nur Nahar, 35.

Also read: 3 get life term for murder in Kushtia

All of them are relatives of the victim’s husband.

Kishreganj Additional District and Sessions Judge Abdur Rahim pronounced the verdict and fined each of the convicts Tk 1 lakh or additional six months in jail in default.

Also read: DU student rape: Lone accused Majnu gets life term

According to case statement, the convicts strangulated victim Ruba to death over family feud and dumped her body in a ditch near their house on June 3, 2011.

The young housewife was killed only 15 days after her marriage.

Also read: One to die, five get life term for killing Kishoreganj farmer

Her brother filed a case at Karimganj Police Station over the matter.