Trial of money laundering case begins Jan 4

A Dhaka court yesterday framed charges against former prime minister Khaleda Zia's younger son Arafat Rahman Koko and a former BNP minister's son in absentia in a money laundering case.
The other accused is Ismail Hossain Saimon, son of former shipping minister late Akbar Hossain.
The same court on October 31 issued arrest warrant against Koko and Saimon in connection with the case. As per the law the accused were supposed to be present in the court at the time of hearing on the charge framing and during the trial proceedings.
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150 hurt, 200 held

With overwhelming presence of law enforcers and ruling Awami League activists in the streets, opposition BNP's dawn-to-dusk hartal yesterday passed without any major untoward incidents.
Top ranking BNP leaders including most of the members of the party's standing committee were not seen in the streets during the showdown. Even leaders like Salauddin Quader Chowdhury and Moudud Ahmed, who were very much vocal about enforcing the hartal, were indoors.
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Khaleda's Petition

The hearing of the contempt of court petition filed by Khaleda Zia against the government over the Dhaka Cantonment house was not held yesterday, as the Supreme Court did not sit due to the countrywide hartal called by BNP.
The SC will hear the petition today, said Attorney General Mahbubey Alam.
“The judges of the apex court did not sit in the ejlash [courtroom] today considering that the lawyers concerned would not be able to attend the court due to the countrywide dawn-to-dusk hartal,” he told.

The judges of the Appellate Division came to their offices but did not sit in the courtroom, the AG added.
A three-member Appellate Division bench headed by Chief Justice ABM Khairul Haque on Monday fixed yesterday for hearing the contempt petition.
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The ruling Awami League (AL) said yesterday people hatefully rejected BNP's hartal on the day but the main opposition party said people spontaneously made the hartal a success despite government obstructions.
Both the parties came up with their claims at separate post-hartal press briefings.
The AL said BNP enforced the hartal to protect party Chairperson Khaleda Zia's family interests, and not on any national issue.
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