RRP's legal notice and FE reply
Wednesday, 5 November 2008
RRP Metals in a legal notice (sent through Mosharaf Hossain, advocate, Bangladesh Supreme Court) protested against a news item published in The Financial Express (FE) October 25, 2008 under the headline 'Indian Ship breaking Co. involved in metal smuggling from Chittagong'.
In its legal notice, RRP Metals claimed that formation of five-member committee by NBR is fake. It further said the report regarding fraudulent practice and smuggling is fabricated, against the goodwill and reputation of the company, arbitrary to the policy of foreign investment, against the image of the Indian government and against the relationships of Bangladesh-India.
It said the whole report was made "without any basis, unethically and to destroy the business and reputation of the company". RRP Metals is a company doing its business lawfully and was never connected with any activities of fraudulence or smuggling, it said.
FE's reply :
The reporter wrote the report based on the document of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) and the file no. bw_ bs- 3(4)†evtcÖt-2/mt/2007(Ask-3)Ñ1020, dated September 04, 2008.
The NBR's board in its 28th meeting held August 19, 2008 discussed the issues of RRP Metals and formed a five-member committee to investigate the allegation of RRP Metals' involvement in smuggling of copper and brass to India.
Sayed Golam Kibria, additional director general, VAT audit and intelligence and inspection department, and Md. Mahbubuzzaman, joint commissioner, customs, excise and VAT commissionarate, Chittagong, were made convener and member secretary of the committee. Three members of the committee were: deputy director of Board of Investment (BoI), Tasnimur Rahman, assistant commissioner, customs house (Export), Chittagong and a representative from chief controller's office, import-export, Chittagong.
In its legal notice, RRP Metals claimed that formation of five-member committee by NBR is fake. It further said the report regarding fraudulent practice and smuggling is fabricated, against the goodwill and reputation of the company, arbitrary to the policy of foreign investment, against the image of the Indian government and against the relationships of Bangladesh-India.
It said the whole report was made "without any basis, unethically and to destroy the business and reputation of the company". RRP Metals is a company doing its business lawfully and was never connected with any activities of fraudulence or smuggling, it said.
FE's reply :
The reporter wrote the report based on the document of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) and the file no. bw_ bs- 3(4)†evtcÖt-2/mt/2007(Ask-3)Ñ1020, dated September 04, 2008.
The NBR's board in its 28th meeting held August 19, 2008 discussed the issues of RRP Metals and formed a five-member committee to investigate the allegation of RRP Metals' involvement in smuggling of copper and brass to India.
Sayed Golam Kibria, additional director general, VAT audit and intelligence and inspection department, and Md. Mahbubuzzaman, joint commissioner, customs, excise and VAT commissionarate, Chittagong, were made convener and member secretary of the committee. Three members of the committee were: deputy director of Board of Investment (BoI), Tasnimur Rahman, assistant commissioner, customs house (Export), Chittagong and a representative from chief controller's office, import-export, Chittagong.