::: Star Weekend Magazine :::

News Notes

Picture Of The Week

Mugging is on the rise in the country especially after the hawkers have been evicted by the interim government. Newspaper reports and recent arrest by the law enforcers suggest that more and more evicted hawkers, finding no other way to survive, are resorting to mugging and theft. Government's plan to rehabilitate the street-vendors in so-called Friday markets has failed to deliver. It is high time that the government concentrates on solving this problem, which is gradually turning into a crisis.

Rejoinder

MGH group in a rejoinder contradicted with a news item published in The Daily Star (based on which the Star Weekend Magazine ran a news note last week) on April 28 under the headline "Tk 270cr laundered money recovered".

The rejoinder said MGH managing director Anis Ahmed never entered into any business relationship or into any type of partnership with Tarique Rahman, senior joint secretary-general of BNP.

Moreover, the allegation of Anis Ahmed being arrested is completely untrue, said the rejoinder signed by Abdur Rahim, executive director and head of legal and corporate affairs of MGH Group.

"With respect to refunding money gained through ill-means appeared shocking given the legitimate businesses of MGH group representing world class brands as well as companies in Bangladesh and abroad thus taking the new spirit of Bangladesh to the global market," the rejoinder added.

The Daily Star's Reply
The rejoinder did not categorically refute the allegation of refunding money to the government exchequer by MGH Group. The Daily Star report was mainly about retrieving illegally earned money by the government from seven businessmen and Anis Ahmed was one of the seven.

These businessmen were involved in a shady deal -- sale of a foreign tea company. The deal was made abroad early last year in secret, but the payment was made from Bangladesh through illegal channels. Law enforcement agencies recently forced the businessmen to pay the amount to the exchequer through several pay orders.