The International Crimes Tribunal on Tuesday ordered the prosecution to submit the report of the investigation of the war crimes allegedly committed by the four detained top leaders of the Jamaat-e-Islami by the first of August.
The tribunal also cautioned the prosecution that one year of the detention of the four top Jamaat leaders — its amir Matiur Rahman Nizami, secretary general Ali Ahsan Mohammad
Mojaheed and assistant secretaries general Mohammad Kamruzzaman and Abdul Quader Molla — would be completed on August 1 and the tribunal would have to respond positively to their bail petitions, in accordance with its rules, unless the investigation report was submitted by that date.
The chief prosecutor, Golam Arif Tipu, replied that the investigation report, in the form of a formal charge, would be submitted by 1 August.
The tribunal, which was instituted on 25 March, 2010 for the trial of war crimes committed during the War of Independence in 1971, passed the order after the chief prosecutor sought more time for completing the investigation and submitting a report.
Opposing the prosecution's plea, defence counsel Tajul Islam argued that the Jamaat leaders should be granted bail as the prosecution had failed to submit charges against them within one year of their detention.
The tribunal of Justice Nizamul Huq, Justice ATM Fazle Kabir and Judge AKM Zahir Ahmed posted for August 1 the hearing of the bail application filed by the Jamaat leaders.
It also ordered the prison authorities to allow the detained Jamaat leaders to sign the files of their income tax returns and to ensure proper medical treatment for them.
If the formal charge against the four top Jamaat leaders is submitted by August 1, it will be the second formal charge in the war crimes cases of this country.
The first-ever formal charge of war crimes was submitted to the tribunal last Monday against Delwar Hossain Sayedee, the detained nayeb-e-amir of the Jamaat.
In addition to the five Jamaat leaders, Bangladesh Nationalist Party's standing committee member Salauddin Quader Chowdhury, also a lawmaker, has been detained on charge of committing war crimes.
Each of them had to undergo one day of interrogation at the safe house in Dhanmondi.
The tribunal, however, on March 31 granted bail to former BNP lawmaker and minister Abdul Alim on certain conditions.
Source : New Age
