DHAKA: A three-member tribunal led by Justice Obaidul Hasan has started reading the verdict against Syed Mohammad Qaisar, a former Jatiya Party state minister, in a war crimes case filed against him for his deeds during the liberation war in 1971.

ICT-2 chairman Justice Obaidul Hasan has been reading the summary of 484-page verdict that contains 1661 paragraphs.

Earlier in the day, he was taken to the court at 8:45am.

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.

** Qaisar taken to court

BDST: 1121 HRS, DEC 23, 2014