Talking to Media: Law officers must get AG’s nod

After a deputy attorney general said he declined to sign a statement regarding Nobel laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus, the Attorney General's Office has asked all its law officers to get permission from the AG before making any statement to the media.

Md Nasir Uddin, administrative officer at the AG office, issued a notification to this effect on September 5.

On September 4, DAG Imran Ahmed Bhuiyan told reporters at a briefing on the Supreme Court premises that the AG's office was preparing a statement protesting a letter from global figures about the trial proceedings against Prof Yunus and that Imran had refused to sign the statement.

The next day, the law minister told reporters at the Jatiya Press Club that Imran had breached discipline by making the statement to the media.

"He is a DAG at the Attorney General's Office. If he has to speak to reporters, he should either resign and speak or get the attorney general's permission to speak. He had done neither. He has breached discipline," Anisul said

Attorney General AM Amin Uddin, also on that day, told newsmen that Imran intended to make "somebody happy" by talking to reporters.

He also claimed that his office was not preparing any statement regarding Prof Yunus' trial.

On September 4, DAG AKM Amin Uddin Manik told this correspondent, "Many lawyers including the law officers under the attorney general's office have signed it [the statement]. Nobody is being compelled to sign. I have signed the statement."