Orion Group's rejoinder & FE's reply

FE Team | Published: November 28, 2024 00:43:23

The Orion Group in a rejoinder, issued on Wednesday, alleged that a report, titled 'HC wants to know legal status of Orion's Obaidul Karim' contained 'multiple inaccuracies' that can 'mislead readers and harm the reputation' of the Group and its Chairman Mr Mohammad Obaidul Karim.
Following is the full text of the clarification:
Unauthorised Legal Action: The petition in question was filed by Barrister Jobayer Ahmed Bhuiyan using the name of Belhasa without any legal authority to do so. It is important to note that Belhasa had issued a power of attorney to Barrister Bhuiyan in 2010 for specific matters that were unrelated to the City Centre case. However, this document has been misused in 2024 to file a petition against Mr Mohammad Obaidul Karim concerning the City Centre property in Motijheel. This act of misrepresentation is both malicious and misleading, as it falsely implies that Belhasa authorised the legal proceedings. Such actions undermine the legal process and are not expected from a learned advocate of the Supreme Court.
Legal Status of Mr Mohammad Obaidul Karim: Mr Mohammad Obaidul Karim is a law-abiding citizen and is not a fugitive as erroneously implied. All legal matters concerning Mr Karim have been resolved through proper judicial proceedings, and no unresolved or pending cases are currently against him. Hence Allegations of fugitivity and non-compliance with legal orders are baseless.
Nature of the Case: It is crucial to emphasise that there is no conflict between Belhasa and the other partners involved in the City Centre project. The petition that resulted in the stay order on property transfers was unauthorisedly filed in Belhasa's name without knowledge or authorisation of its owners, particularly Mr Belhasa. This unauthorised legal action has caused defamation and created a hindrance to the normal course of business for all parties involved.
The misuse of Belhasa's name appears to be part of a malicious conspiracy orchestrated by Barrister Jobayer Ahmed Bhuiyan or those supporting him. Such actions not only misrepresent the interests of the parties involved but also misuse the legal system for personal or ulterior motives. These actions demand serious investigation, and those responsible should face appropriate legal consequences to ensure accountability and prevent similar misconduct in the future.
FE's reply: The rejoinder contains two wrong information. We do not have any 'Law & Order' page and the news item was published in our 'Metro/News' page. The report in question was published in our November 20 issue, not in November 19 issue.
As far as allegation of 'inaccuracies' is concerned, the report presented only court proceedings and presiding judge's observation. What has been mentioned in the rejoinder as facts has nothing to do with the content of the said FE report.
The FE reporter concerned did not have any reason to know whether the petitioner of the case had legal authority or not to file the case. It is a matter to be judged by the court. If there were inaccuracies in points raised in the court, lawyers, not FE, should be responsible for that. It is none but Orion should contest such misinformation, if there is any, in the court.
We stand by our report.