Khaleda whitened her 'undeclared legal money': BNP
Tuesday, 11 May 2010
Once again rejecting the ruling Awami League's allegations, the opposition BNP Monday said the party chairperson and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia whitened her 'undeclared legally earned money', and it did not include a single unit of 'black' money in 2007, reports UNB.
Addressing a press briefing at the BNP's Nayapaltan central office Monday afternoon, BNP chairperson's adviser Adv Ahmed Azam Khan, who also acts as her lawyer, said the party chairperson and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia whitened her white money under a NBR project tiled "White Money Whitening" under an SRO in 2007.
Ahmed Azam outright rejected the Awami League joint secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif's comments on Sunday over Khaleda Zia's whitening money, terming them as 'totally false'.
He said there was a big difference between black money and undeclared money from legal sources, contending that undeclared money from legal sources was not black money.
Apparently, Khaleda whitened undeclared money from legal sources under this scheme. In the case of 'black' money, the sources from which the money was earned did not have to be declared at all, whereas in the case of 'whitening white money', the sources of income were declared.
He then revealed the sources of the income Khaleda declared. One of the sources of her undeclared money was one million taka from Ziaur Rahman' s pension fund and a gratuity fund that was given by the then government to Khaleda Zia after the death of President Ziaur Rahman. Khaleda deposited the amount in a bank as an FDR.
The other source of Khaleda's apparently legal money was the rent on her Gulshan residence, given to her by the then President Justice Abdus Sattar, Ahmed Azam told the reporters.
Asked about why Khaleda Zia had not paid tax on this income earlier, he said she was not completely in tune with the income tax laws in the country, like many citizens including physicians and engineers.
He said matters of filing income tax are very complicated worldwide.
BNP secretary general Khandaker Delwar Hossain, who was present at the press briefing, said the government was carrying out a false campaign and resorting to dirty politics in a bid to undermining the image of the BNP and its leadership.
He said no-one had been able to prove 'a single black taka' against Khaleda's name.
By contrast, Delwar reminded that allegations of having earned income from illegal sources remained against the incumbent Prime Minister and cases were filed against her (Hasina) in this regard.
He lamented that the government was withdrawing those cases by influencing the courts.
Responding to AL joint secretary Mahbub Alam Hanif's comment against him, Delwar rejected his remarks and reminded Hanif that he (Delwar) did not do politics based on spreading falsehoods, and would not do so in the future either.
Addressing a press briefing at the BNP's Nayapaltan central office Monday afternoon, BNP chairperson's adviser Adv Ahmed Azam Khan, who also acts as her lawyer, said the party chairperson and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia whitened her white money under a NBR project tiled "White Money Whitening" under an SRO in 2007.
Ahmed Azam outright rejected the Awami League joint secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif's comments on Sunday over Khaleda Zia's whitening money, terming them as 'totally false'.
He said there was a big difference between black money and undeclared money from legal sources, contending that undeclared money from legal sources was not black money.
Apparently, Khaleda whitened undeclared money from legal sources under this scheme. In the case of 'black' money, the sources from which the money was earned did not have to be declared at all, whereas in the case of 'whitening white money', the sources of income were declared.
He then revealed the sources of the income Khaleda declared. One of the sources of her undeclared money was one million taka from Ziaur Rahman' s pension fund and a gratuity fund that was given by the then government to Khaleda Zia after the death of President Ziaur Rahman. Khaleda deposited the amount in a bank as an FDR.
The other source of Khaleda's apparently legal money was the rent on her Gulshan residence, given to her by the then President Justice Abdus Sattar, Ahmed Azam told the reporters.
Asked about why Khaleda Zia had not paid tax on this income earlier, he said she was not completely in tune with the income tax laws in the country, like many citizens including physicians and engineers.
He said matters of filing income tax are very complicated worldwide.
BNP secretary general Khandaker Delwar Hossain, who was present at the press briefing, said the government was carrying out a false campaign and resorting to dirty politics in a bid to undermining the image of the BNP and its leadership.
He said no-one had been able to prove 'a single black taka' against Khaleda's name.
By contrast, Delwar reminded that allegations of having earned income from illegal sources remained against the incumbent Prime Minister and cases were filed against her (Hasina) in this regard.
He lamented that the government was withdrawing those cases by influencing the courts.
Responding to AL joint secretary Mahbub Alam Hanif's comment against him, Delwar rejected his remarks and reminded Hanif that he (Delwar) did not do politics based on spreading falsehoods, and would not do so in the future either.