Moeen's vokalatnama legal: HC

A Dhaka court yesterday declared legal a vokalatnama (power of attorney) submitted by a counsel of former army chief Gen (retd) Moeen U Ahmed on August 5 in a Tk 100 crore defamation case.
Judge SM Saiful Islam of the Third Joint District Judge's Court passed the order dismissing a petition submitted by former state minister for power Iqbal Hasan Mahmood Tuku challenging the legality of the vokalatnama.
The court fixed November 17 as the date for the next hearing of the suit.
Both the counsels of the plaintiff and the defendant yesterday took part in the hearing on the petition and made their submissions.
In his order, the judge said the vokalatnama submitted to the court by lawyers of Moeen was legal and there was no legal bar to accept it.
On October 1, former state minister Tuku submitted the petition challenging the legality of the power of attorney. Moeen's lawyer submitted a written objection against the petition on October 20.
Tuku had filed the defamation suit on July 12, accusing the former army chief of making derogatory remarks damaging his (Tuku's) reputation.
On a petition filed by Tuku the same day, the court asked Moeen to explain within three weeks why his property should not be attached.
On March 27 in 2007, Gen Moeen, then army chief, said at a tea party at the National Parade Square that corrupt politicians had siphoned off at least Tk 20,000 crore from the energy sector during the four-party rule, reads the complaint.
The party was held in honour of the freedom fighters.