Gen Nooruddin conspired to stage coup in Bangladesh
According to whistleblower Wikileaks, quoting leaked cable message of the then US ambassador in Bangladesh, Harry K. Thomas, Lt. General [Retired] Nooruddin Khan, former Chief of Army Staff and Awami League cabinet minister as well as leader of the party "asked for United States Government's support in ending Bangladesh's current [of 2005] administration and bringing a government of national unity consisting of senior leaders of both major parties. Gen. Khan was quoted saying: "Bangladesh's only way out of dynastic government and the rise of Islamic extremism was to draft a new constitution based on the presidential system that would prevent current Prime Minster Zia or former Prime Minister Hasina from holding office."
He asked for United States Government's support for a two-three year interim government and a constitutional assembly. Ambassador Thomas responded that the US government would not under any circumstances support a coup against the Bangladesh Government, would ensure that any military action against Prime Minister Khaleda Zia would result in sanctions against the successor government.
Gen. Khan responded that Bangladesh's future is hostage to two women who cannot put aside their difference for the nation's sake. He accused the Bangladesh government of bankrupting the military. He said the seven top generals who he derided as the malevolent seven were the Prime Minister's brother [Retired Major Eskander's] classmates and were chosen for their loyalty and not competence. He said that the government had started the politicization of the officer's corps during Khaleda Zia's first term [1991-1996] and that Hasina had accelerated it [1996-2001].
General Nooruddin Khan recommended that General Abu Tayeb Mahammad Zaahirul Alam, commandant of the National Defense College, take charge of the country. He said that General Zahir is a true supporter of democracy and would form a government with competent ministers from both parties for two-three years to improve Bangladesh's weak institutions, draft a new constitution, end corruption and to attract much needed foreign investment before holding internationally observed democratic elections.
General Zahir is a graduate of the British Staff College at Camberley and has traveled extensively, including the U.S. for military conferences. He also served a battalion commander in UNIKOM. Zahir has commanded two brigades and two divisions [most officers only get one command opportunity at each level] and is well respected by colleagues.
He [Gen. Khan] alleged that the BDG fears coups even from its Eskander's batch mates and had sidelined Major General Rokon-Ud-Dowla to the Quartermaster Corps because he was thought to be a threat to the current government [the then government].
General Noor Uddin Khan, a former minister under Sheikh Hasina resigned from the Awami League in early 2004 in frustration with its inability to focus on the future. He accused Hasina of losing her cards after the August 21 attack on the Awami League. Instead of calling for an independent investigation and taking the moral high ground, she insisted on repeated strikes and attempted to bring the government down. She lost popular support and an unintended consequence may be that the Bangladesh government no longer feels compelled to solve the crime, he said.
Khan said that an interim military government is the only alternative to continued dynastic politics. He said that first son Tariq Rahman [son of Prime Khaleda Zia] and his younger brother Arafat Rahman will terrorize the country, extort money from businesses and ruin the economy. He also belittled the political abilities of Hasina's son and sister, asserting they were equally as corrupt and venal as Tareq Rahman and Arafat Rahman.
Pakistan tried to intervene in Bangladesh politics in 1991:
According to the US embassy message, General Noor Uddin Khan, in part, blames himself for the country's current predicament. He said that when Bangladeshi military dictator General Ershad was forced out office in 1991, then Pakistani military chief Aslam Beg, an old friend and colleague sent him an emissary urging that Khan become the President. When Khan refused, Beg asked whom should Pakistan support. Khan recommended that Pakistan support the BNP because it consisted of military officers and small businessmen he believed would lead the country in the right direction. Pakistan, then used Inter Service Intelligence [ISI] to fund the BNP and India's Research and Analysis Wing [RAW] began funding the Awami League. Such funding continues to this day, Khan said.
"We have become the playground for India and Pakistan", he said.
General Khan claimed that New Delhi was unhappy with Sheikh Hasina's performance and funded both parties during the 2001 elections. He claimed that RAW funded Tariq Rahman, who pledged to deliver his mother on gas exports and water sharing differences but was unable to do so. He predicted New Delhi would work hard to bring Hasina back to power in 2006.
On September 13 [same year], Lt. Gen. Mahbubur Rahman, another retired Army Chief and BNP MP, told Ambassador that the military would always look to the US government for a signal to go ahead with a coup. He said that the US had played a positive role in helping to thwart two potential coups in 1996 and a no from the US would always carry weight. While expressing disdain for Sheikh Hasina and Begum Zia, Gen. Rahman predicted that Bangladesh would be under dynastic leadership for at least another generation. He said that the Army views itself as Bangladesh's only respected organization and does not want to interfere in civilian politics.
US ambassador terms Tareque Rahman as 'notorious':
In another secret message titled "VISAS DONKEY CORRUPTION 212", US ambassador James F Moriarty wrote: "The Embassy is seeking a security advisory opinion under section 212[f] of the Immigration and Nationality Act, Presidential Proclamation 7750, suspending the entry into the United States of Tarique Rahman [aka Tarique], born on November 20, 1967 in Bangladesh. The Embassy believes Tarique is guilty of egregious political corruption that has had a serious adverse effect on U.S. national interests mentioned in Section 4 of the proclamation, namely the stability of democratic institutions and U.S. foreign assistance goals. The Embassy is not seeking to apply a 212[f] finding to Tarique Rahman's wife, Dr. Zubaida Rahman, to their daughter, Zaima Rahman, or to his mother Begum Khaleda Zia, a former Prime Minister of Bangladesh."
Commenting on Tareque Rahman, the US ambassador in his message said: "Tarique Rahman, the notorious and widely feared son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia,was released on bail from prison on September 3. He departed Bangladesh to seek medical treatment in the UK on September 11. Having served as the Senior Joint Secretary General of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Tarique is an extremely high profile political figure. Notorious for flagrantly and frequently demanding bribes in connection with government procurement actions and appointments to political office, Tarique is a symbol of kleptocratic government and violent politics in Bangladesh. His release occurred despite multiple pending cases against him on charges of, inter alia, corruption, extortion, bribery, embezzlement and tax evasion. With deep political ties that reach the highest court in the land, Tarique managed to manipulate the judicial process and overcome a concerted effort by the Caretaker Government to block his bail. We believe Tarique has several passports, including a new one in which the UK issued him a visa in September. Another passport contains a five year multiple-entry B1/B2 visa [issued May 11, 2005]. We suspect that passport is being held by the government."
The ambassador further said "The Anti-Corruption Commission [ACC], a body empowered by the current interim government to investigate, charge, and prosecute high profile malefactors, has leveled serious charges against Tarique.
"Tarique reportedly has accumulated hundreds of millions of dollars in illicit wealth. There are multiple extortion cases pending against him, founded on the testimony of numerous prominent business owners who he victimized and exploited. In one case, Tarique allegedly threatened Al Amin Construction owner Amin Ahmed with closure of the company unless he received a payment of US$ 150,000. Other local business leaders, including Mohammad Aftab Uddin Khan of Reza Construction Ltd, Mir Zahir Hossian of Mir Akhter Hossain Ltd., and Harun Ferdousi have each filed accusations detailing a systematic pattern of extortion on a multi-million dollar scale. The ACC has also filed charges of concealing ill-gotten wealth, and the National Board of Revenue has brought tax evasion charges against Tarique. [Note: The Bangladeshi legal system is a testimony-based system and not an evidence-based system. It is standard practice for testimonial records to be used as the primary source of information for prosecutions]."
The US ambassador wrote: Tarique's corrupt activities were not limited to extortion of local companies. The ACC has also uncovered evidence in several bribery cases involving both foreign and local firms and individuals:
A. Siemens: According to a witness who funneled bribes from Siemens to Tarique and his brother Koko, Tarique received a bribe of approximately two percent on all Siemens deals in Bangladesh [paid in US dollars]. This case is currently being pursued by DOJ Asset Forfeiture [POC: Deputy Chief Linda Samuels] and by the FBI [POC: Debra Laprevotte].
B. Harbin Company: ACC sources report that the Harbin Company, a Chinese construction company, paid US$ 750,000 to Tarique to open a plant. According to the ACC, one of Tarique's cronies received the bribe and transported it to Singapore for deposit with Citibank.
C. Monem Construction: An ACC investigator advised Embassy officials that Monem Construction paid a bribe worth US$ 450,000 to Tarique to secure contracts.
D. Kabir Murder Case: The ACC has evidence that Tarique accepted a 210 million taka (3.1 million USD) bribe to thwart the prosecution of a murder case against Sanvir Sobhan. Sanvir is the son of the chairman of the Bashundura Group, one of the nation's most prominent industrial conglomerates. Sanvir was accused in the killing of Humayun Kabir, a Bashundura Group director. An investigation by the ACC confirmed Tarique had solicited the payment, promising to clear Sanvir of all charges.
Ambassador Moriarty said, "Beyond bribery and extortion, the ACC reports Tarique also became involved in an elaborate and lucrative embezzlement scheme. With the help of several accomplices, Tarique succeeded in looting 20 million taka [300,000 USD] from the Zia Orphanage Trust fund. According to an ACC source, Tarique, who is a co-signer on the trust fund account, used funds from the trust for a land purchase in his hometown. He also provided signed checks drawn from the orphanage fund accounts to BNP party members for their 2006 election campaigns.
"Tarique's corrupt practices have had deleterious effects on the U.S. interests specified in the Proclamation. His antics have weakened public confidence in government and eroded the stability of democratic institutions. Tarique's well-established reputation for flouting the rule of law directly threatens U.S. financial assistance goals directed toward reforming legal codes, strengthening good governance and halting judicial abuses. The bribery, embezzlement, and culture of corruption that Tarique has helped create and maintain in Bangladesh has directly and irreparably undermined U.S. businesses, resulting in many lost opportunities. His theft of millions of dollars in public money has undermined political stability in this moderate, Muslim-majority nation and subverted U.S. attempts to foster a stable democratic government, a key objective in this strategically important region.
"Tarique's flagrant corruption has also seriously threatened specific U.S. Mission goals. Embassy Dhaka has three key priorities for Bangladesh: democratization, development, and denial of space to terrorists. Tarique's audaciously corrupt activities jeopardize all three. His history of embezzlement, extortion, and interference in the judicial process undermines the rule of law and threatens to upend the U.S. goal of a stable, democratic Bangladesh. The climate of corrupt business practices and bribe solicitation that Tarique fostered derailed U.S. efforts to promote economic development by discouraging much needed foreign investment and complicating the international operations of U.S. companies. Finally, his flagrant disregard for the rule of law has provided potent ground for terrorists to gain a foothold in Bangladesh while also exacerbating poverty and weakening democratic institutions. In short, much of what is wrong in Bangladesh can be blamed on Tarique and his cronies.
"Applying a 212[f] finding to Tarique Rahman supports the US's strong stand against corruption in Bangladesh. Embassy recommends that Tarique Rahman be found subject to Presidential Proclamation 7750 for participating in public official corruption as defined by Section 1, Paragraph [c] of the Proclamation."
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