The International Crimes Tribunal on Wednesday expressed dissatisfaction over law adviser Asif Nazrul鈥檚 Tuesday statement in which he hoped that the ICT would deliver verdicts in three or four cases of the killings during the July-August mass uprising by October.
The three-member tribunal, comprising Chairman Golam Mortuza Mozumder and members Md Shofiul Alam Mahmood and Mohammad Mohitul Haque Anam Chawdhury, raised concerns over the remark while hearing a petition from prosecutor Gazi Monwar Hossain Tamim.
The prosecutor sought two more months to complete the investigation into an enforced disappearance case against a former director general of the National Telecommunication Monitoring Centre, major general Ziaul Ahsan, and 11 others.
The tribunal rebuked Tamim, noting that despite repeated time extensions, the prosecution had yet to submit formal charges.
It wanted to know how the government could set an October deadline for verdicts when investigations were still incomplete.
鈥楾he tribunal is independent. We will not deliver verdicts based on any individual鈥檚 statement,鈥� the tribunal said and added that such comments could create a misleading impression among the public.
It directed Tamim to inform his client to refrain from making such remarks in the future.
Addressing a press conference at his ministry in Dhaka on Tuesday, Asif Nazrul said, 鈥業 hope that verdicts in three or four cases currently under trial at the ICT will be delivered by October.鈥�
After the court proceedings, Tamim told reporters that the tribunal was displeased with the law adviser鈥檚 statement on a sub-judice matter and had cautioned the prosecution against making similar remarks.
鈥楢ctions will be taken if such comments are made again,鈥� he quoted the tribunal as saying.
The tribunal granted the prosecution two more months to complete its investigation into the case of enforced disappearance during the 15 years of the Awami League regime.
Of the accused, only Ziaul is now detained in jail. He is also accused in multiple cases related to the July-August 2024 crimes against humanity.
The ICT On January 6 issued arrest warrants against 12 suspects, including Ziaul, in the enforced disappearance case.
Other accused individuals in the case include the ousted prime minister and AL president Sheikh Hasina, her security and defence adviser Tarique Ahmed Siddique, former inspector general of Police Benazir Ahmed, former chief of the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit Md Asaduzzaman, retired Lieutenant Colonel Moksurul Haque, five former DGFI chiefs鈥攔etired Lieutenant General Md Akbar Hossain, retired Major General Md Saiful Abedin, retired Lieutenant General Md Saiful Alam, retired Lieutenant General Ahmed Tabrez Shams Chowdhury, and retired Major General Hamidul Huq, and former Counter Terrorism and Intelligence Bureau Director Mohammad Towhid-ul-Islam.
Ziaul鈥檚 lawyer and sister, Naznin Nahar, appeared on his behalf during the proceedings.
In a separate development, the ICT鈥檚 investigation agency on Wednesday arrested Dhaka Metropolitan Police鈥檚 former assistant commissioner (Badda) Rajan Kumar Saha in connection with crimes against humanity allegedly committed in the capital鈥檚 Rampura area during the mass uprising.
The tribunal sent him to jail.
He is among two serving police officers for whom the tribunal had issued arrest warrants on the same day in separate cases.
