FE REPORT
The High Court (HC) on Tuesday wanted to know the legal status of Orion Group founder Obaidul Karim.
During the hearing in a case, an HC bench of Justice Ahmed Sohel asked his lawyer to know legal status of the businessman and inform it to the court.
On October 22 this year, the HC issued an order restraining Accom Engineering Company Limited represented by Obaidul Karim and his son Salman Obaidul Karim from dissipating or transferring its assets, creating any charges or liabilities or transferring funds for a three-month period.
Obaidul Karim and others recently filed applications with the HC bench seeking discharging of its order.
During the hearing on the petitions, lawyers of the Dubai-based Belhasa Engineering & Contracting Company told the court that Obaidul Karim cannot file an affidavit in compliance as he is a fugitive in the eye of law.
The lawyers further mentioned that the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court earlier asked Mr Karim to surrender to the court in a criminal case as he was a convicted accused. However, he didn't comply with the apex court order and now he is a fugitive.
Barrister Ragib Rouf Chowdhury, Barrister Mustafizur Rahman Khan and Barrister Md Nazirul Alam stood for the Belhasa while Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman represented Md Obaidul Karim on his personal capacity.
When Mr Asaduzzaman stood to place his submission in favour of his client, the court asked him whether he could hold hearing representing a fugitive. Then, he replied that he didn't know the legal status of Obaidul Karim.
The court then asked him to know about the legal status of Mr Karim and inform it to the court. It also adjourned the case hearing until November 27.
At one stage, the court commented that this is not a right decision to stand in favour of a fugitive.
The tallest building in Bangladesh, City Centre, becomes the focal point of a contentious legal dispute between a local conglomerate and a Dubai-based developer, with the High Court staying the property transfer in the 37-storey building.
The conflict centres on Dubai's Belhasa Engineering & Contracting Company, which holds a 25-percent stake in the building and claims its local partner, the majority shareholder, has failed to pay dividends and has not convened an annual general meeting (AGM) since the building began commercial operations.
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