Gazipur City Corporation polls: Jahangir's appeal for nomination rejected
Mohammad Jahangir Alam's appeal against the cancellation of his nomination paper for the post of mayor in the Gazipur City Corporation (GCC) election has been rejected.
Dhaka Divisional Commissioner Md Sabirul Islam gave the order after hearing the appeal on Thursday (4 May).
"The appeal authority upheld the order, given by the returning officer cancelling Jahangir's nomination papers, after the hearing. We are yet to receive a copy of the order," Manjur Hossain Khan, focal point officer of Gazipur City Corporation election's returning officer, told The Business Standard.
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Jahangir's nomination papers were rejected on 30 April on the grounds of him being a loan defaulter.
When asked about his reaction, Jahangir Alam told The Business Standard, "I have been denied justice. Now I will move to the High Court."
According to sources, Jahangir Alam was present in the hearing along with his two lawyers who claimed that the money was deposited for rescheduling the loan. They also argued that a guarantor never defaults on the loan.
However, a central bank official, also present there, said under the Bangladesh Bank law, a guarantor can be considered a defaulter.
It was also revealed that the loan of the institution, for which Jahangir Alam acted as a guarantor, has not been rescheduled yet.
However, Jahangir's mother, Zayeda Khatun, who is also running for the post of mayor, was declared a valid candidate.
Jahangir submitted his nomination papers on 27 April to run for the post again as an independent candidate.
He was suspended from the post of mayor in November 2021 on charges of corruption, abuse of power and mismanagement. He was also expelled from the Awami League for breaking party discipline.
However, Jahangir was reinstated to the party in January this year, subject to conditions.
Jahangir Alam sought an Awami League nomination to be a candidate for the post of mayor in the Gazipur city elections. However, the party nominated Metropolitan Awami League President Azmat Ullah Khan.
