Home ›› 12 Jun 2023 ›› Front
Borak Real Estate has served a legal notice to Prothom Alo Editor and Publisher Motiur Rahman, and its correspondent Mohammed Mostafa over a defamatory report on the five-star hotel Sheraton published on June 1.
Supreme Court Advocate Md Abu Taleb sent the legal notice on Saturday, on behalf of Borak Real Estate Ltd and its Managing Director Mohd. Noor Ali.
The notice demanded removal of news regarding Sheraton from Prothom Alo’s online and social media without delay, payment of Tk 500 crore as compensation for the loss of reputation of the clients Borak Real Estate and Mohd. Noor Ali.
It also demanded an unconditional apology from Prothom Alo for publishing the defamatory news article on June 1 this year regarding hotel Sheraton.
The notice mentions that the 28-storey five-star hotel Sheraton is a joint project of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and Borak Real Estate Ltd, and the property has been built following every regulation.
After the vetting and approval process carried out by BUET and the then Dhaka City Corporation, Borak secured clearance for the construction of 30 storeys from every relevant government agency, including the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives.
Despite readily available facts, the national daily Prothom Alo published a news article on Sheraton, presenting ill-motivated, confusing, incomplete, and untrue information to tarnish Borak’s image.
It should be noted that Borak Real Estate had contacted the city corporation in writing on multiple occasions, urging them to take over their share in the Sheraton Hotel since 2015, but the city corporation is yet to do so.
The company wrote separately to the Local Government Division secretary on April 30, 2023, LGRD minister on March 31, 2021, and Prime Minister’s Office on July 16, 2018 seeking to resolve the matter, but to no avail.
Shares of this establishment were allotted, and construction moved forward as per regulations.
Under a competition held in 2004, the then Dhaka City Corporation awarded Borak “Letter of Award” in 2006 for submitting the best offer under RFP, and with pre-approval from LGRD ministry.
The legal notice also mentioned that Mohd. Noor Ali is a veteran freedom fighter and Managing Director of Borak Real Estate and Unique Hotel & Resorts Ltd, and also involved with many other reputed business entities.
He is a man of good reputation, respect and position, and is held in high esteem in society. But his reputation is damaged by the publication of the news article in Daily Prothom Alo, read the notice
It added that the whole of the reports are not only incorrect, but also false, fabricated, biased and mala-fide with intent to defame and degrade the honour and prestige of the clients, and also to damage the good name of the clients, which they have earned by long days of labour.
By publication of the news in print media and online media, people at home and abroad have seen and read the news. Negative news and views have been circulated and broadcasted due to the effect of the Prothom Alo news.
The notice adds that the Borak Real Estate had sent a rejoinder to the Prothom Alo editor on June 1 and further rejoinder on June 3 for advertisement publication. But the daily did not publish the rejoinder on or before June 6, and the advertisement rejoinder has not been published till that date.
Prothom Alo’s news article was published on June 1 with an ulterior motive to humiliate and undermine the clients at home and abroad, and also to make them incur business losses, which goes against the principle of journalism under the existing law of the country.
Mohd. Noor Ali is a self-made person who is very famous for his good acts and deeds at home and abroad. He is a pioneer of bringing in foreign currency through his manpower export activities for more than three decades.
But the news article published in the daily Prothom Alo on June 1 achieves nothing but to insult, humiliate, persecute, undermine the clients, and thus harm the clients nationally and internationally.
The legal notice also read that both of the clients already have suffered irreparable loss and injury. Although the damage caused is irreparable, the clients, however, claim a sum of Tk 500 (five hundred) crore only as compensation for loss of reputation, respect and dignity.
The aforesaid clients also demand to remove the news item from online without any delay and publish a news item in the newspaper on the same page and with a similar prominence offering an unconditional apology to Mohd. Noor Ali.
