Khaleda sends legal notice to PM for ‘defamatory’ remarks

Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Khaleda Zia has sent a legal notice to prime minister Sheikh Hasina by lawyer for PM’s ‘defamatory’ remarks over accumulation of huge amount of wealth in Saudi Arabia by Khaleda and her family members.

At a press conference on Wednesday at the party central office at Nayapaltan in the capital, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told reporters that Khaleda’s lawyer Mahbub Uddin Khokon on Tuesday sent the legal notice to PM by post on Khaleda’s behalf.

The notice, sent to Hasina’s official address, asked Hasina to seek unconditional apology to Khaleda within 30 days of the legal notice.

The legal notice accused Hasina of making ‘defamatory, false, vindictive, ill motive’ comments that are ‘intended to destroy’ Khaleda’s political career.

Hasina made the remarks at her media briefing on December 7 at Ganabhaban, where she said that Khaleda possessed a shopping mall and huge wealth in Saudi Arabia and she is involved with money laundering, said the legal notice.

Hasina also made false statement about Khaleda’s sons, it added.

‘What the allegations you (Hasina) made are staged, imaginary, ill-motivated and vindictive,’ it said.

‘These (remarks) are intended to defame her (Khaleda) image before the nation and world’.

‘Your (Hasina) long demeaning remarks are planned and ill-intended to destroy her (Khalea) political career and to gain political benefit,’ the legal notice said.

‘It has been irreparable damages to her (Khaleda) by your (Hasina) defamatory comments and for which you are legally responsible,’ the notice added.

The notice asked Hasina to seek unconditional apology to Khaleda within 30 days of the legal notice and publish the forgive-seeking letter at the front page of newspapers and appropriately publish and air on online newspaper, electronics media and social media.

Otherwise, the notice added, measure will be taken against Hasina for compensation.

After the December 7 press conference of Hasina, BNP secretary general Fakhurl at a press conference on the next day said the prime minister’s statements on ‘imaginary smuggle out of wealth’ were ‘false, fabricated, baseless and politically motivated’.

He urged Hasina to seek forgiveness for her comments or elese, he said, legal action will be taken.

On Wednesday press conference, Fakhrul said so far Hasina or Awami League did not come up with the probe about her allegations.

‘So, we have decided to take legal measure,’ he said.

Source: New Age.