DHAKA: The Cyber Tribunal fixed June 10 for hearing on charge framing in the case filed for leaking out the draft verdict against convicted war criminal BNP leader Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury.

Tribunal Judge KM Shamsul Alam passed the deferment order Wednesday in response to a time petition as Farhat Quader Chousdhury, wife of Salahuddin Quader, could not appear before court due to her illness.
 
Wednesday (April 15) was the scheduled date for indictment hearing.

Hummam Quader Chowdhury, son of Salauddin, appeared before the tribunal while lawyer Mehedi Hasna, junior of Barrister Fakhrul Islam, remained fugitive.

Four other accused who are now in jail – Salauddin’s lawyer Barrister Fakhrul Islam, manager AKM Mahbubul Hasan, International Crimes Tribunal’s stenographer Faruk Hossain and cleaner Noyan Ali were also produced before court.

Earlier, the tribunal granted bail to SQ Chowdhury’s wife Farhat Quader Chowdhury and son Humam Quader Chowdhury upon a bond of Tk 1 lakh for each with two guarantors.

On October 12 last year, the court issued arrest warrant of the accused after taking the charge-sheet of the case into cognizance.

On August 28, DB Inspector Mohammand Shahjahan, also investigation officer of the case, submitted the charge-sheet against seven accused to Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court.

The IO, in the charge-sheet, mentioned 25 people as prosecution witnesses.

On October 1, 2013, the ICT-1 awarded SQ Chowdhury death sentence for committing crimes against humanity and genocide in Chittagong during Bangladesh liberation war.

Immediate after the verdict, his family members and defense counsels claimed that the verdict had been leaked before it was even declared.

BDST: 1457 HRS, APR 15, 2015
RS/RR