Dhaka, Dec 19 (402 zia hall du)
The war crimes tribunal had two questions struck out
during cross-examination when Jamaat-e-Islami leader Delwar Hossain Sayedee's
defence was trying to discredit a prosecution witness on Monday.
Jamaat's executive council member Sayedee has been indicted on 20 counts of crimes against humanity by the International Crimes Tribunal set up to deal with such crimes as murder, rape, arson and loot during Bangladesh's 1971 Liberation War.
Manjur Ahmed Ansari of the defence had asked witness Ruhul Amin Nabin whether it was true that his brother had been forced to leave Pirojpur because Nabin had filed cases against him.
"It is not true," Nabin said.
The judges reacted to the question saying that it had little to do with the case and went too much into the witness' personal life.
Tribunal head Justice Nizamul Huq said that it was too personal and instructed the clerk to strike out the question. "It won't stay in the records."
Ansari then asked Nabin about a false case of rape that he had his domestic maid file against certain persons. Justice Huq reacted even as the witness was denying the suggestion. "This is nothing but personal scandal."
Once again he instructed the clerk to remove the question. Ansari brought the cross-examination to a close.
He concluded suggesting that Nabin had been well-cared for over the last week that he was in Dhaka for giving testimony. "During this time you have been trained to make these allegations by the prosecution."
Nabin denied the suggestion.
Earlier when Mohammed Kafil Uddin Chowdhury was cross-examining Nabin, he was asked about his ice factory business in Parerhat which he had set up with a loan but was unable to repay. "You only settled the repayment of the loan this month with government assistance and the interest was exempted."
Nabin said it was not true. "I have made the repayment in full."
Chowdhury also suggested that Nabin had been arrested for tampering with the factory's electricity metre being unable to pay the power bills. He had been charged with power theft.
Nabin said that he had been later acquitted from the case and the allegation was not true.
Justice Huq had said at that point, that once a person is acquitted, the entire matter comes to nought. "It is of little significance if one is merely arrested. Then no one is safe," he said responding to the suggestion of the defence that it reflected on the character of the witness.
The tribunal disposed of a petition of the prosecution after returning from lunch recess which requested a court order for the prosecution witnesses being threatened.
After a discussion with the prosecution, when Justice Huq suggested that the prosecution could itself ask police to conduct investigation, the tribunal agreed to dispose of the petition with an order.
Huq said in his order that a copy of the petition with the all the details of the mobile phone numbers that had been used to threaten the prosecution witnesses and other details be forwarded to the inspector general of police for follow-up action.
It asked the police chief to conduct necessary investigations and take appropriate measures based upon its findings.
Sayedee is the first to face prosecution for his alleged war crimes against humanity.
The prosecution on Sept 4 proposed the framing of charges against Sayedee on 31 counts for crimes against humanity and genocide in ICT Case-1/2011. The tribunal indicted Sayedee on 20 counts on Oct 3.
Bangladesh Nationalist Party's standing committee member Salauddin Quader Chowdhury, also a lawmaker, has also been detained, along with others, on charges of committing war crimes.
The tribunal, however, on March 31 granted conditional bail to former BNP MP and minister Abdul Alim. source : bdnews24bd
Jamaat's executive council member Sayedee has been indicted on 20 counts of crimes against humanity by the International Crimes Tribunal set up to deal with such crimes as murder, rape, arson and loot during Bangladesh's 1971 Liberation War.
Manjur Ahmed Ansari of the defence had asked witness Ruhul Amin Nabin whether it was true that his brother had been forced to leave Pirojpur because Nabin had filed cases against him.
"It is not true," Nabin said.
The judges reacted to the question saying that it had little to do with the case and went too much into the witness' personal life.
Tribunal head Justice Nizamul Huq said that it was too personal and instructed the clerk to strike out the question. "It won't stay in the records."
Ansari then asked Nabin about a false case of rape that he had his domestic maid file against certain persons. Justice Huq reacted even as the witness was denying the suggestion. "This is nothing but personal scandal."
Once again he instructed the clerk to remove the question. Ansari brought the cross-examination to a close.
He concluded suggesting that Nabin had been well-cared for over the last week that he was in Dhaka for giving testimony. "During this time you have been trained to make these allegations by the prosecution."
Nabin denied the suggestion.
Earlier when Mohammed Kafil Uddin Chowdhury was cross-examining Nabin, he was asked about his ice factory business in Parerhat which he had set up with a loan but was unable to repay. "You only settled the repayment of the loan this month with government assistance and the interest was exempted."
Nabin said it was not true. "I have made the repayment in full."
Chowdhury also suggested that Nabin had been arrested for tampering with the factory's electricity metre being unable to pay the power bills. He had been charged with power theft.
Nabin said that he had been later acquitted from the case and the allegation was not true.
Justice Huq had said at that point, that once a person is acquitted, the entire matter comes to nought. "It is of little significance if one is merely arrested. Then no one is safe," he said responding to the suggestion of the defence that it reflected on the character of the witness.
The tribunal disposed of a petition of the prosecution after returning from lunch recess which requested a court order for the prosecution witnesses being threatened.
After a discussion with the prosecution, when Justice Huq suggested that the prosecution could itself ask police to conduct investigation, the tribunal agreed to dispose of the petition with an order.
Huq said in his order that a copy of the petition with the all the details of the mobile phone numbers that had been used to threaten the prosecution witnesses and other details be forwarded to the inspector general of police for follow-up action.
It asked the police chief to conduct necessary investigations and take appropriate measures based upon its findings.
Sayedee is the first to face prosecution for his alleged war crimes against humanity.
The prosecution on Sept 4 proposed the framing of charges against Sayedee on 31 counts for crimes against humanity and genocide in ICT Case-1/2011. The tribunal indicted Sayedee on 20 counts on Oct 3.
Bangladesh Nationalist Party's standing committee member Salauddin Quader Chowdhury, also a lawmaker, has also been detained, along with others, on charges of committing war crimes.
The tribunal, however, on March 31 granted conditional bail to former BNP MP and minister Abdul Alim. source : bdnews24bd
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