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42 get legal shield to contest polls

HC directs EC not to disqualify KMahbub Uddin as loan defaulter

Staff Correspondent
Forty two of the 130 loan-defaulters are going to contest the national polls securing legal protection, according to yesterday's information from the Credit Information Bureau (CIB) of the Bangladesh Bank.
Meanwhile, the High Court (HC) yesterday directed the Election Commission (EC) and the government not to disqualify BNP candidate
for Dhaka-12 constituency Advocate Khandaker Mahbub Uddin Ahmed as a loandefaulter.
Finance Adviser Mirza Azizul Islam yesterday told reporters: "As a citizen of the country I don't want the loan-defaulters to take part in the elections. But the government has nothing to do if they contest through the loopholes in the laws.”
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Bangladesh Bank Executive Director Khandker Mazharul Haq informed the reporters yesterday the number of total loan-defaulters is 88. Another 42 defaulters have obtained stay from the High Court and the number may increase if some more get the stay in a couple of days, he added.
Mazharul said they have sent the defaulters' list to the returning officers concerned and will later send it to the Election Commission.
The number of loandefaulters among the total 2,447 candidates, who submitted nomination papers, may be more as the central bank CIB has the list of those who have defaulted over Tk 50,000 loan, commented another B B official.
As per the BB instruction, the banks concerned would send their lists of defaulters of less than Tk 50,000 directly to the returning officers.
A BB high official said the number of candidates getting stay is increasing each day.
BNP leaders Goyeshwar Chandra Roy and Rumana Ahmed secured stay onTuesday and many were on the way. Sources say many candidates have obtained stay till December 12 so that EC cannot cancel their nomination for default loans.
The central bank has mean -while appointed new lawyers to get these stay orders vacated bu t that is not as easy as obtaining stay orders.
The finance adviser told the reporters at the planning ministry that the government and the people want a neutral and (lawless election. That is why we have told Bangladesh Ban* and other banks to take necessary steps so that the defaulters cannot contest the polls. *
He however expressed frustration over many defaulters getting stay order taking
advantage of the legal loopholes.
ADVOCATE MAHBUB UDDIN Following a writ filed by Mahbub, the HC bench of Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain and Justice Quamrul Islam Siddiqui issued a rule upon EC and the government to explain why the Bangladesh Bank's action involving his name on the list of loan-defaulters should not be declared illegal.
Earlier on Tuesday, BB identified a number of loandefaulters on the commission's list of candidates of different political parties.
The list was published in different newspapers yesterday.
The name of Khandker Mahbubuddin Ahmed, an independent candidate of Bansal-5 constituency, was on the list
Seeing the name of the independent candidate, Advocate Mahbubuddin of Dhanmondi -Hazaribagh constituency in Dhaka filed the writ challenging the central bank's action involving 'his' name on the list.
Barrister Ruhul Quddus Kajal appeared for the petitioner.
Meanwhile, the HC also extended for three months its earlier orders staying the EC's process of declaring four candidates loan-defaulters. They are Kazi Shah Mofazzal Hussain Kaikobad, Mazeda Ahsan, wife of former BNP lawmaker Manzurul Ahsan Munshi, Mojibur Rahman Sarwar and Rumana Mahmud, wife of former BNP state minister Iqbal I laxsan Mahmud Tuku.
Court sources say BNP candidates Gayeshwar Chandra Hoy and Nasima Akter Kalpana, wife of detained former lawmaker Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu, yesterday filed separate writs with the I IC for direction to EC not to disqualify diem <3loan defaulters.