& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Dutch Court Fine

Govt to form body for working out a plan

Staff Correspondent
The gpvernment decided only yesterday to form a committee for working out a plan to counter a Dutch court verdict that asked Bangladesh early this year to comply with its order to avoid possible confiscation of national flag carriers in European Union (EU) countries.
Airliners and ships carrying Bangladesh's flag will become liable to confiscation in EU territories in case Bangladesh government fails to pay 4.2 million euro (Tk 32 crore) in fine for not purchasing computers from a Dutch company after an agreement.
The computers and accessories were intended tobeusedforimplementing an education ministry project funded by a grant of the Netherlands.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs yesterday assigned Education Minister Dr Osman Faruk to head the committee that includes representatives from the ministries of education, law, foreign affairs and economic relations division (ERD).
"This was a one-sided judgement, which was made without hearing Bangladesh's version," Finance Minister M Saifur Rahman told journalists after the meeting at the secretariat. "The government was not even given any scope for an appeal."
Bangladesh could not even appeal, as the case was settled about four months before it came to know about it in February.
In December 2000, the Netherlands government had agreed to provide about Tk 49.95 crore as grant for introducing computer courses at secondary and higher secondary levels in 3,382 educational institutions under a project that was scheduled for implementation by March 2001.
The ERD unilaterally signed the agreement with the Dutch com-pany Tulip Computers International BV in June 2001. As per Dutch law there is no scope for appeal once a verdict is made.
After BNP came to power, the
government cancelled the procurement initiative, finding the price offer to be 'inflated and unsolicited'.
The government also decided to purchase 10,000 computers at its own expense, at which the Dutch company hit back with a lawsuit.
"We neither got any money nor any computer. Yet, we are being compelled to compensate for the deal. This is sheer injustice," said Saifur with a tinge of frustration. "The committee we've formed will decide on our next course of action and then we will explain the matter to the Dutch envoy here."
The foreign ministry will communicate with all the EU ambassadors here in an effort to put the issue to rest, sources said.