Staff Correspondent
22nd February, 2021 10:02:21
The parliamentary seat of Laxmipur-2 independent lawmaker Mohammad Shahid Islam alias Kazi Papul has been vacated as he has been punished by a foreign court for his misdeeds.
Parliament Secretariat on Monday issued a gazette notification signed by Senior Secretary Zafar Ahmed Khan, mentioning that the seat has been vacated due to the criminal offence committed by the lawmaker.
It further says that the gazette has come into effect from January 28 this year.
Papul was the first lawmaker whose membership of the parliament has been revoked for his four-year rigorous imprisonment abroad.
As per section 66 (2) (Gha) of the Constitution of Bangladesh, Papul has lost his eligibility to retain in the post as a legislator after being convicted and sentenced to four-year rigorous imprisonment by a Kuwaiti court, the gazette said.
Convicted in Kuwait: Papul finally loses his JS membership
Mohammad Shahid Islam, also known as Kazi Papul. Photo: Collected
The seat of independent lawmaker Mohammad Shahid Islam, also known as Kazi Papul, has been vacated yesterday on grounds of moral turpitude.
The parliament secretariat issued a gazette notification to that end yesterday afternoon following a meeting between Speaker Shirin Sharmin and top officials of the secretariat, Zafar Ahmed Khan, senior secretary at the parliament secretariat, told The Daily Star.
The gazette has been in effect from January 28, 2021 the day Kazi Papul, lawmaker from Laxmipur-2, was sentenced to four years of rigorous imprisonment by a Kuwaiti court for human trafficking and bribing Kuwaiti officials.
Staff Correspondent,
bdnews24.com
Published: 22 Feb 2021 06:22 PM BdST
Updated: 22 Feb 2021 08:05 PM BdST
Laxmipur lawmaker Kazi Shahid Islam alias Papul has lost his seat in parliament in light of his conviction for money laundering and human trafficking in Kuwait. );
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Parliament Secretary Zafar Ahmed Khan said a gazette has been issued to declare his Laxmipur-2 seat vacant, effective from the day the verdict was announced.
The gazette stated that Shahid Islam had been stripped of his parliamentary seat in line with Article 66 of the Constitution.
Article 66 provides that a person shall be disqualified for election as, or for being, a member of parliament who has been, on conviction for a criminal offence involving moral turpitude, sentenced to imprisonment for a term of not less than two years, unless a period of five years has elapsed since his release.
Process underway to take action against Papul
Says senior secretary of parliament secretariat
Laxmipur-2 MP Mohammad Shahid Islam, also known as Kazi Papul. Photo: Collected Star Digital Report Star Digital Report
The process of taking action against independent Laxmipur-2 lawmaker Mohammad Shahid Islam alias Kazi Papul has been started as documents and other papers on his conviction in a Kuwait court has reached the parliament secretariat.
Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury received a copy of the documents on Thursday evening.
On January 28, Papul was sentenced to four years imprisonment and fined 1.97 million Kuwaiti dinars (Tk 55 crore) in a bribery case.
Talking to The Daily Star today, Zafar Ahmed Khan, senior secretary, parliament secretariat, said process regarding taking decision on Shahid Islam s membership in parliament has already started.
A decision on parliament membership of Mohammad Shahid Islam alias Kazi Papul is likely to be made in two to three days, around three weeks after a Kuwait court sentenced him to four years in prison in a bribery case.
The independent lawmaker from Lakshmipur-2 was also fined 1.97 million Kuwaiti dinars (Tk 55 crore) by the court in the case on January 28.
The copy of the verdict on his conviction reached Jatiya Sangsad Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury on Thursday, and the process of taking action against the convicted lawmaker began. We received the copy of the verdict Thursday. We will evaluate the matter in line with the constitution and the rules of procedure of parliament, she told The Daily Star yesterday afternoon.