BANGLADESH

The cabinet has given its approval to the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill-2011 authorising investigation of suspicious transactions in banks and other financial institutions, and freezing of bank accounts.

The approval came at a regular cabinet meeting at the Secretariat on Monday, with prime minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

The cabinet also approved drafts of the Disaster Management Bill-2011 and the Power of Attorney Bill-2011.

The prime minister's press secretary Abul Kalam Azad told reporters after the meeting that Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill-2011 was approved in a bid to prevent all kinds of terrorist and militant activities in the country and funding of such activities.

The law proposes death penalty to anyone guilty of providing funds for terror and militant activities.

For such crimes, it also proposed a maximum 20 years' rigorous imprisonment, apart from providing for a life term imprisonment, and a minimum three years' imprisonment or additional fine (minimum Tk 1 million).

On July 11 this year, the cabinet approved in-principle the draft of the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill-2011 formulated by the home ministry to safeguard the country's sovereignty. But the meeting recommended inclusion of some more provisions in the Act.

The Act is being amended to stop use of Bangladeshi land for conducting terrorist activities either inside the country or in other countries, all types of illegal arms, carrying explosives and creating panic among people through terror.

After necessary scrutiny, inclusions and exclusions of some provisions of the Act, the home ministry placed it in the cabinet meeting following endorsement by the law ministry.

It was amended in the changed perspective of international terrorism, as terror activities these days are not limited to national boundaries.

Officials said the amendment Bill would be placed in parliament in the upcoming session.

MORE POWER TO PROBE

According to the home ministry, the government can investigate any kind of suspicious financial transaction of banks, NGOs and other financial institutions under the amended Act. The financial institutions are also obliged to provide all information to the government once the Act comes into force.

The existing Anti-Terrorism Act empowers the government only to investigate financial transaction of banks. But the amended law also empowers the Bangladesh Bank to gather information in terms of money laundering from Bangladeshis based abroad.

It also authorises the government to freeze any account for a maximum of six months in case it finds some transaction suspicious.

Ministers, advisors and state ministers concerned attended the meeting held in the conference room of the Cabinet Division.

OTHER POLICIES OKAYED

The council of ministers also endorsed a proposal for turning a project titled 'RAKUB Small Enterprise Credit Programme (SECP)' of Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank (RAKUB) into its subsidiary company.

The meeting also okayed the draft of Jute Policy 2011 to increase production of jute and jute products in line with local and international demand.

The Cabinet also gave its nod to a proposal for an agreement between Bangladesh and Belarus on military and technical cooperation.

POWER OF ATTORNEY ACT

The approved draft of the Power of Attorney Bill, to prevent irregularities and forgery, makes it mandatory that registration be done within three months after the Act is enforced.

The draft says the Power of Attorney Act will be ineffective after three months but will remain effective until a certain period in terms of registration.

"The Act formulated in 1882 has been revised and some necessary provisions have been included in it for modernisation," the press secretary said.

Power of attorney is a legal document that allows a person to appoint another for carrying out certain specified acts and conducts on behalf of executants of the document.