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The High Court on Monday directed the authorities concerned to identify the persons or government authorities whose negligence and failure caused serious financial loss and damage to millions of buyers of various online market places so that appropriate actions can be taken against them to recover the financial loss of the buyers.
It also directed the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to investigate and identify the amount of money laundered by various e-commerce platforms like Evaly, Eorange, Dhamaka, Aleshamar and find out the persons who committed such crimes till date.
The High Court bench of Justice Md Mozibur Rahman Miah and Justice Khizir Hayat passed the order after hearing three separate writ petitions filed seeking High Court directives over the e-commerce scams.
The High Court also issued a rule asking the respondents to explain as to why they should not be directed to identify the persons or government authorities whose negligence and failure caused serious financial loss and damage to millions of buyers of various online marketplaces so that appropriate actions can be taken against them to recover financial loss of the buyers.
In the rule, the court also wanted to know from the ACC why it should not be directed to investigate and identify the amount of money laundered by different online market places and find out the persons who committed such money laundering till date.
The court also wanted to know from the respondents to explain why the failure and inaction of the respondents to take necessary actions or preventive measures to protect the rights and interests of the consumers of digital or e-commerce platforms should not be declared illegal.
It also wanted to know in the rule why the government should not be directed to form an independent regulatory body to oversee the functions of the e-commerce platforms.
Commerce Secretary, Finance Secretary, Information Secretary, Home Secretary, Bangladesh Bank Governor, Anti-Corruption Commission, Head of Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) and other respondents have been asked to comply with the rules within four weeks.
Lawyers Pallob Kabir M Humaun, Mohammad Shishir Manir and Md Anwarul Islam appeared in the court on behalf of the writ petitioners.
Lawyer Mohammad Shishir Manir filed a petition on September 23 last year on behalf of 33 consumers of the e-commerce platform ‘e-orange.shop’.
Two other Supreme Court lawyers Md Anwarul Islam and Barrister Pallob Kabir M Humaun filed two other writ petitions as public interest litigations seeking some other directions over the e-commerce scams.
The High Court bench later held a joint hearing on the three writ petitions and asked the respondents to submit their statements over the court queries. In reply the BFIU, NBR, Commerce Ministry submitted some reports in the High Court over the functions of the online market places.