Dhaka Divisional Commissioner Zillar Rahman, also the Appellate Authority, on Tuesday declared valid the nomination paper of Dhaka North City Corporation polls candidate Tabith Awal turning down an appeal filed by Sonali Bank terming him a loan defaulter.
A total of 60 nomination papers of two mayoral and 58 councillor contestants, including that of Tabith Awal, of Dhaka South and North city corporations’ elections were declared valid by the Appellate Authority.It disposed of all 178 appeals, lodged with it challenging the decisions of the returning officers of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) and Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) elections.
After delivering his judgement on appeal against Tabith Awal, the eldest son of BNP leader Abdul Awal Mintoo, Dhaka Divisional Commissioner Zillar Rahman said the Sonali Bank claimed Tabith Awal as loan defaulter after the returning officer had declared valid his nomination. “But we’ve not found him (Tabith) as a loan defaulter in the CIB report of Bangladesh Bank. So, we declared valid his nomination paper.”
Tabith’s lawyer and BNP standing committee member Barrister Moudud Ahmed told reporters that Sonali Bank is a state-run organisation, but it lodged the appeal against his client with an ill-motive.
Earlier on Saturday, the Appellate Authority declared legal the nomination of DSCC mayoral contender Rezaul Karim.
However, the Appellate Authority on Saturday upheld the decision of the returning officers turning down the nomination papers two BNP leaders Abdul Awal Mintoo (in DNCC) and Nasir Uddin Ahmed Pintu (in DSCC), now in jail being convicted in the BDR mutiny case.
Earlier, the returning officers declared invalid the nominations of 208 mayoral and councillor aspirants in the two city corporations’ elections during scrutiny on April 1 and 2.
With the 60 aspirants whose nomination papers were declared valid by the Appellate Authority, the total number of candidates of the two cities now stands at 1315.
During the scrutiny, the Election Commission has declared valid the nomination papers of 1256 mayoral and councillor aspirants, out of total 1464, to contest the elections to two city corporations in the capital.
With the restoration of candidature of the two mayoral candidates, the number of mayoral candidates in the DSCC is now 24, while that of the DNCC 19.
Earlier, the deadline for the submission of nomination paper expired on March 29, while the nomination papers were scrutinised on April 1 and 2.
The last date for the withdrawal of candidature is April 9. – UNB
