Maudud calls Niko graft case a farcical compensation suit
Monday, 2 June 2008
Former Law Minister Barrister Maudud Ahmed Sunday questioned the veracity of the Niko graft case saying that he had never seen in his 42-year of legal profession such a farcical compensation suit, reports UNB.
"I've seen the cases of profit, but not the cases of such losses," he told the court.
Standing in the dock, Maudud, a co-accused in the Niko graft case, wondered how the public exchequer suffered a loss of Tk 274 billion (27,400 crore) from a project of Tk 7.0 billion (700 crore).
Terming the case imaginary, Maudud said people of the country were to give compensation of Tk 301 billion (30,100 crore) every month for increase in prices of rice and Tk 150 billion (15,000 crore) for electricity. If ever a compensation case needed to be filed it should be against the incumbent government, he added.
Maudud said if the government considered Niko a bad company why the agreement with it has not yet been scrapped.
Describing the anti-corruption drive nothing but a farce, he said good people were arrested, but the real corrupts were being sheltered.
The former Law Minister demanded immediate lifting of the state of emergency.
About the jail condition, Maudud said he was deprived of basic rights in jail. "Where is the rule of law?"
"I've seen the cases of profit, but not the cases of such losses," he told the court.
Standing in the dock, Maudud, a co-accused in the Niko graft case, wondered how the public exchequer suffered a loss of Tk 274 billion (27,400 crore) from a project of Tk 7.0 billion (700 crore).
Terming the case imaginary, Maudud said people of the country were to give compensation of Tk 301 billion (30,100 crore) every month for increase in prices of rice and Tk 150 billion (15,000 crore) for electricity. If ever a compensation case needed to be filed it should be against the incumbent government, he added.
Maudud said if the government considered Niko a bad company why the agreement with it has not yet been scrapped.
Describing the anti-corruption drive nothing but a farce, he said good people were arrested, but the real corrupts were being sheltered.
The former Law Minister demanded immediate lifting of the state of emergency.
About the jail condition, Maudud said he was deprived of basic rights in jail. "Where is the rule of law?"