Cabinet approves amendment to Anti-terrorism Act

The cabinet has approved Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill-2011 authorising investigation into suspicious transactions in banks and other financial institutions, and freezing of bank accounts, reports bdnews24.com. The approval came at a regular cabinet meeting at the Secretariat on Monday, with prime minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair. The cabinet also approved drafts of the Disaster Management Bill-2011 and the Power of Attorney Bill-2011. Prime minister's press secretary Abul Kalam Azad told reporters after the meeting that Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill-2011 was approved in a bid to prevent all kinds of terrorist and militant activities in the country and funding of such activities. The law proposes death penalty to anyone guilty of providing funds for terror and militant activities. For such crimes, it also proposed a maximum 20 years' rigorous imprisonment, apart from providing for life term imprisonment, and a minimum three years' imprisonment or additional fine (minimum Tk 1 million). On July 11 this year, the cabinet approved in principle the draft of the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill-2011 formulated by the home ministry to safeguard the country's sovereignty. But the meeting recommended inclusion of some more provisions in the Act. The Act is being amended to stop use of Bangladeshi land for conducting terrorist activities either inside the country or in other countries, all types of illegal arms, carrying explosives and creating panic among people through terror. Officials said the amendment bill would be placed in parliament in the upcoming session. According to the home ministry, the government can investigate any kind of suspicious financial transaction of banks, NGOs and other financial institutions under the amended Act. The financial institutions are also obliged to provide all information to the government once the Act comes into force.