Bangladesh blocks news website accusing minister of corruption

[Black_cats]

NEWS /BANGLADESH

Bangladesh blocks news website accusing minister of corruption
Sweden-based site reported on minister's watch collection which includes a Rolex worth almost as much as his salary.

by Faisal Mahmud
1 hour ago
Bangladesh authorities have blocked access to a Sweden-based investigative journalism website after it published a report alleging corruption by an influential Bangladeshi minister.

Netra News was blocked in Bangladesh within 72 hours of publishing the story about Obaidul Quader, Bangladesh's minister of road transport and bridges.

The story, which was based on a tip from a whistle-blower and photos from Quader's verified Facebook page, raises questions about his collection of luxury watches from brands including Rolex, Louis Vuitton, and Ulysse Nardin.

Readers in Bangladesh contacted Netra News to complain that they could not access the website without using a VPN, an editor of the online publication told Al Jazeera.

Jahurul Haque, chairman of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) - the government agency that controls the web access of the country, told Al Jazeera that he did not receive "any official order from the government" to block the website.

However, he indicated that Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) - the intelligence agency of the Bangladesh armed forces - also has the capacity to block a website.

DGFI declined to comment on the issue.

Netra News told Al Jazeera in a statement that they had been able to independently verify that their website is blocked by the defence agency.

A source close to the Department of Telecommunications (DOT) in Dhaka told a Netra News editor that "the agency was behind the block".

Investigation
The article, published on December 26 with the headline, A wrist of luxury, questioned how the minister could afford such expensive accessories.

Qauder is also the cosecretary-general of the ruling Awami League in Bangladesh and is considered the second most powerful man after party chairman and Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Tasneem Khalil, editor-in-chief of Netra News, told Al Jazeera that Quader has a declared annual income of about $36,000 while just one of his Rolex watches has a price tag of $34,000.

"We questioned if the minister bought these watches himself or received them as gifts in exchange for awarding lucrative contracts. And for this very basic act of journalism, our website has been blocked in Bangladesh," he said.

Al Jazeera tried contacting Quader several times. His secretary said he was not available for comment.

Mahbubul Alam Hanif, a spokesperson of Awami League who holds the rank of joint secretary-general, said: "I can't comment on Quader's watch collection. It's not my duty to look after his [Quader's] wrist."

In its recent election manifesto, Awami League said it would adopt a zero-tolerance approach against corruption.

"There is no definite proof that Quader was involved with any corruption," said Hanif, who refused to give a reason behind the news website's block.

Previous cases
Netra News also published a story about an influential Bangladeshi security official, the prime minister's security adviser, and his alleged role in the enforced disappearance and death in custody of a retired army captain.

Al Jazeera published a story on this development in March, after which Al Jazeera's website was blocked in Bangladesh.

"This affront to press freedom is unfortunately neither new nor surprising. With this brazen act of censorship, Netra News joins an increasingly long list of websites which include Al Jazeera English (Qatar) and The Wire (India) which were blocked in Bangladesh for reporting on topics that irked the upper echelons of power in the country," said Khalil.

He said Netra News was set up to tackle media censorship in Bangladesh.

"In seeking to block its website, the Bangladeshi authorities are confirming how important it is for independent journalism platforms like Netra News to exist," said Khalili.

https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2020/01/bangladesh-blocks-news-website-accusing-minister-corruption-200102172616456.html

 

[The Ronin]

So he is the BAL version of Lutfozzaman Babar?

 

[Michael Corleone]

What did I say? The journalist was asking people around about his watches and I’m into watches personally and was surprised xD

 

[Black_cats]

Luxury wristwatches at the centre of new corruption allegation against Obaidul Quader, the Bangladeshi minister of road transport and bridges.



A wrist of luxury Netra News Investigation December 26, 2019

[Photo: Obaidul Quader, the Bangladeshi minister, wearing a wristwatch that closely resembles a Rolex Day-Date President, $34,000/Tk. 28,86,000.]

Allegations of corruption against Obaidul Quader — the newly-reelected general secretary of the Awami League — are nothing new. According to his own affidavit filed with the Bangladesh Election Commission, there were at least six corruption cases pending against him in 2008/2009. Most of these cases were filed by the military-backed caretaker government which took over in 2007. These cases were quashed by the courts when the Awami League returned to power in 2009. Now, after all these years, a new allegation of corruption has surfaced against this influential Bangladeshi minister, albeit with a very novel element.

A whistleblower contacted Netra News with the claim that Obaidul Quader prefers to receive bribes in the form of expensive wristwatches. This individual was closely involved in a deal in which the minister of road transport and bridges received a luxury brand watch in exchange for awarding a lucrative contract. They showed us photos of the watch, its serial number and other details of provenance. They were also able to show us a photo of Quader proudly sporting the watch at an important event. The whistleblower also claimed that the fact that the minister has a very special fascination for expensive brand watches, and that he prefers to take them as “gifts in return of big favours” is an “open secret” among Bangladeshi and foreign contractors — “anyone who walks through the corridors [of the ministry].”

According to our agreement with the whistleblower and to ensure source protection, we are not disclosing the details of the specific watch and other corroborating information that may reveal the identity of the individual and jeopardise their security.

We can, however, reveal that, while trying to verify the whistleblower’s allegation, we found strong evidence of a large collection of luxury brand watches in Obaidul Quader’s possession. Many of these watches are worth tens of thousands of dollars, and the evidence was hidden in plain sight: on his verified Facebook profile, the minister who is well-known for his sartorial display, has been posting photos of himself wearing these watches. We were able to gather hundreds of such photos.

We enlisted the help of horologists (experts on watchmaking), watch collectors, watch enthusiast groups on Reddit, and luxury watch dealers in the famous jewellery quarter of Hatton Garden in London. With their help, we were able to definitively identify some of the watches in Quader’s collection. These watches — from brands such as Rolex, Ulysse Nardin and Louis Vuitton — are worth tens of thousands of dollars.

[Photo: A watch on Obaidul Quader’s wrist closely resembles a Louis Vuitton GMT Voyager (pink gold version), $15,000/Tk. 12,72,000.]

[Photo: This watch on Obaidul Quader’s wrist closely resembles the special Louis Vuitton Tambour Spin Time Regattawatch which was sold for €40,000 ($44,000/Tk. 37,31,500) at the Only Watch 2013 charity auction. A spokesperson for Only Watch told Netra News that they do not keep any records of the buyers who bid at the auction.]

While it is possible that he bought these watches himself, neither his publicly disclosed wealth statement nor his income declaration confirm such an assumption.

The figures simply do not add up.

According to an affidavit Obaidul Quader himself filed with the Bangladeshi election commission in 2018, and to which he attached his income tax certificate for that year, his total yearly income was Tk. 31,17,651 ($36,790). This included Tk. 12,60,000 salary as a minister and Tk. 4,89,651 as royalty for the books he has written. One of the Rolex watches we identified on his wrist, a Day-Date, is worth $34,000. Nowhere in the affidavit or the tax certificate there is any mention of this or the other watches, in apparent violation of Bangladeshi election code and tax laws.

[Photo: A watch closely resembling a Rolex Datejust on Obaidul Quader’s wrist, $11,000/Tk. 9,33,000.]

[Photo: A watch on Obaidul Quader’s wrist closely resembles an Ulysse Nardin Executive Dual Time, $12,000/Tk. 10,16,200.]

To test the hypothesis that these watches are not genuine, we consulted an expert-cum-dealer who specialises on fake, replica watches. We were told that while it is possible that some of the watches in Obaidul Quader’s collection may well be fakes, the most expensive timepieces in his collection are too recent to have been made into replicas. Moreover, some of these watches contain some features so complex that even the replicas are often worth thousands of dollars.

[Photo: A Rolex Cellini (white gold), $11,000/Tk. 9,33,000.]

We sent a set of specific questions to Obaidul Quader, through his public relations officer, offering him a chance to comment on the allegation of corruption and to explain his possession of such luxury brand watches. We have not yet received any response to our query.

[Photo: Rolex Datejust (diamond dial), $11,000/Tk. 9,33,000.]

In recent weeks, Obaidul Quader has been very vocal about taking action against corrupt politicians in his own party. This was since the government launched its much hyped-up anti-corruption drive with much fanfare. On one occasion, during a press briefing in October, he advised journalists to “write [freely] about allegations of corruption and irregularities against the ministers and lawmakers [of his party].” We were unable to identify the wristwatch he was wearing during that press briefing.

https://netra.news/2019/a-wrist-of-luxury-517

 

[bluesky]

Tasneem Khalil, editor-in-chief of Netra News, told Al Jazeera that Quader has a declared annual income of about $36,000 while just one of his Rolex watches has a price tag of $34,000.

Why should a small Rolex watch be a piece of vice news? His watch is only the tip of the iceberg. Why so much fussing over a small thing? BD people do not think it is any big corruption if Obaidul Qader earns a billion dollars every year.

Corruption is part of normal politics for the sitting BAL ministers. I will not be surprised if someday some of our ministers offer to purchase the Rolex Company or, say, Mercedes Benz company.

 

[Bilal9]

I have one explanation, these are all fakes you buy in Bangkok.

I know a watch dealer in Sukhumbhit road who can fake anything...

awright - just kidding....

 

[mb444]

BAL scum.....

 

[Black_cats]

Luxury watches are gifts from Awami League activists, Obaidul Quader says
2020-01-09 19:29:01
Senior Correspondent, bdnews24.com

Obaidul Quader has said the luxury watches and suits he wears have been gifted by the Awami League activists abroad.
The ruling party general secretary responded to media at the Secretariat in Dhaka on Thursday on a recent report on his watches.

The Sweden-based Netra News website cannot be viewed in Bangladesh reportedly after it carried the story last month.

“All the watches I have are not my own. I haven’t bought them,” Quader said.

Netra News showed different photos of Quader wearing seven watches priced between Tk 900,000 and Tk 2.8 million apiece.

“For God’s sake, I say that I haven’t bought these [watches], expensive dresses. Many activists who live abroad bring these suits for me perhaps because they love me. Like, one of them brought three coats from Singapore,” Quader said.

“If you bring something and present me, what can I do? It’s a gift item!”

Netra News reported that one of the seven watches costs nearly the amount Quader gets annually as the road transport and bridges minister.

He had made no mention of them in his wealth statement he had filed to the Election Commission in affidavit before the last parliamentary polls, the report added.

The news portal alleged he had taken the watch as bribe in exchange for a contract.

Quader denied the allegation. “I can swear that (I have taken) nothing from any contractor…no contractor is even allowed to meet me. This had happened in the past,” he said.

The ruling party leader claimed no one can influence him for promotion now.

“The contractors had offered an amount before the election, but I rejected it outright. The prime minister herself gave me money for the election. I didn’t need to take money from anyone else,” he said.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/m.bdnews24.com/amp/en/detail/politics/1710295

 

[Bilal9]

“If you bring something and present me, what can I do? It’s a gift item!”

This bewaqoof murkh semi-educated idiot does not understand the principle of not accepting gifts because accepting a gift is tantamount to accepting influence.

In the political arena where quid-pro-quo is rampant (I scratch your back so you scratch mine) accepting gifts in ALWAYS prohibited, especially if you are in an influential position. That is the first lie you need to tell your constituents and followers, being a politician.

That said -

1) This idiot does not know the first thing about resisting influence peddling.
2) On top of this, the statements above are most probably all bald-faced lies. Not good excuses.
3) Not to say anything about his Newcally background, I digress...

So - make up your own conclusions...

And WTF is he calling 'Expensive dresses'??

Is he going Hijra on us??

 

[Black_cats]

This bewaqoof murkh semi-educated idiot does not understand the principle of not accepting gifts because accepting a gift is tantamount to accepting influence.

In the political arena where quid-pro-quo is rampant (I scratch your back so you scratch mine) accepting gifts in ALWAYS prohibited, especially if you are in an influential position. That is the first lie you need to tell your constituents and followers, being a politician.

That said -

1) This idiot does not know the first thing about resisting influence peddling.
2) On top of this, the statements above are most probably all bald-faced lies. Not good excuses.
3) Not to say anything about his Newcally background, I digress...

So - make up your own conclusions...

And WTF is he calling 'Expensive dresses'??

Is he going Hijra on us??

Better than saying bribe or corruption money!

In Bangladesh everyone gets gift when they get caught. Luxurious apartment gifted by sibling, in laws or friends. Same goes with car and money.

The DIG prison which was caught recently with money said apartment gifted by Shali/sister in law and car by his friend. Same story is everywhere.

 

[Valar.]

Reminds me of Nawaz Sharif.
Not sure about the actual value, many people said that his watch was worth a million dollars and some estimated it at 4.6 million dollars.
But I think it was worth 41K $ or roughly 4.6 million rupees of that time(2013). Which some minister mistook for 4.6 million dollars.
Some of NS minister said to pay 1 crore and take the watch home if you actually think it's that expensive.

Here's a thread about world leaders' watches if anyone is interested(I am not):

https://defence.pk/pdf/threads/world-leaders-watches-of-current-leaders-around-the-world.472978/