DHAKA: Alleged war criminal Syed Mohammad Qaisar, a former Jatiya Party state minister, was taken to the court as the International Crimes Tribunal-2 is set to pronounce its verdict in a war crime case filed against him.
He was taken to the court at 8:45am in prison van.
On Monday (December 22), a three-member tribunal led by Justice Obaidul Hasan fixed Tuesday as the date to deliver the verdict.
On August 20, the tribunal sent Qaisar, founder of Qaisar Bahini, to jail canceling his bail and put the verdict CAV (curia advisary vult, a Latin legal term meaning court awaits verdict).
Prosecutor Ziad Al Malum placed the closing arguments before the tribunal on the day.
Earlier, prosecutors Barrister Turin Afroz, Ziad Al Malum and Tapas Kanti Pal placed arguments against Qaisar in six working days from July 23 to August 5.
Defense counsels SM Shajahan and Abdus Sobhan Tarafdar presented the arguments for Qaisar for seven working days from August 7 to August 19.
On February 2 of 2013, the tribunal indicted 71-year-old Qaisar, the alleged founder of Qaisar Bahini, also local leader of Razakar and Peace Committee, on 16 different charges for his involvement in the “crimes against humanity” committed during the 1971 Liberation War.
He was indicted on genocide, rape, killing, attack, arson and lootings, which he committed in Habiganj and Brahmanbaria during the War.
A total of 32 prosecution witnesses testified against him while the defense, however, did not place any witness.
On May 16, police arrested Qaisar from a city’s private hospital a day after the tribunal had issued an arrest warrant against him.
The prosecution submitted charges against him on November 10, 2013.
According to the probe report, Qaisar formed the “Qaisar Bahini” to collaborate with the Pakistani occupation army and committed crimes.
After the independence, he fled to London and returned home in 1975. In 1979, he contested the national polls as an independent candidate and was elected as a lawmaker, followed by joining the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) then.
During the autocrat HM Ershad’s regime, the war crimes accused joined Jatiya Party and became a state minister for agriculture.
BDST: 0926 HRS, DEC 23, 2014
