A Chittagong court yesterday granted bail to two Supreme Court (SC) lawyers accused of having links with an Islamist outfit. However, the other lawyer accused of militant funding, Supreme Court barrister Shakila Farzana did not seek bail.
The accused, advocates Md Hasanuzzaman Liton and Mahfuz Chowdhury Bapon, are assistants of SC barrister Shakila Farzana, daughter of former BNP whip Syed Wahidul Alam.
Farzana, along with her two assistants, were arrested in August for allegedly financing Shaheed Hamza Brigade to procure weapons. They were picked up by personnel of the Rapid Action Battalion-7 (RAB-7) from a house in Dhanmondi area of Dhaka.
Yesterday, Chittagong district sessions judge (acting) Nurul Islam granted bail to Liton and Bapon. Farzana’s lawyers, however, did not seek bail for her.
Abul Hashem, public prosecutor of Chittagong district, said, “Notwithstanding our strong opposition, the court granted bail to Farzana’s assistants.”
Advocate Abdur Sattar, a defence lawyer, said the duo got bail in a case filed at Hathazari police station yesterday and also in another case filed at Banskhali police station on Sunday. “There is no case against them now. So, there is no hindrance for the duo now to come out of jail,” he added.
“The Anti-terrorism Act stipulates that the investigation has to be completed within 45 days of filing a case. But the investigation in this case is yet to be completed even after four months. Considering this, the court granted bail to my clients,” Sattar said, adding that the charges against his clients were baseless.
A day after the trio’s arrest on August 18, RAB-7 commander Lt Col. Miftah Uddin Ahmed had told reporters: “After verifying different bank accounts in accordance with court directives and with the help of Bangladesh Bank, it was found that the arrested lawyers had altogether given Tk. 1.08 crore to the militant outfit for procuring weapons.”
“Farzana provided Tk. 52 lakh in two phases (Tk. 25 lakh and Tk. 27 lakh); Liton gave Tk. 31 lakh and Bapon Tk. 25 lakh. We have information that a UAE national, Allama Libadi, is another financer of the outfit,” he added.
According to RAB-7, Shaheed Hamza Brigade has been operating in Chittagong since November 2013. The elite force has also busted the outfit’s hideouts in Hathazari, Banskhali and Halishahar areas of Chittagong and arrested 29 militants. The outfit’s objective is to carry out subversive activities in the country and abroad.
On April 13, RAB-7 personnel had arrested four members of the outfit from Chittagong and seized five AK-22 rifles, five pistols, a gun and a huge cache of ammunition from them.
|
Editor : M. Shamsur Rahman
Published by the Editor on behalf of Independent Publications Limited at Media Printers, 446/H, Tejgaon I/A, Dhaka-1215.
Editorial, News & Commercial Offices : Beximco Media Complex, 149-150 Tejgaon I/A, Dhaka-1208, Bangladesh. GPO Box No. 934, Dhaka-1000.
Editor : M. Shamsur Rahman
Published by the Editor on behalf of Independent Publications Limited at Media Printers, 446/H, Tejgaon I/A, Dhaka-1215.
Editorial, News & Commercial Offices : Beximco Media Complex, 149-150 Tejgaon I/A, Dhaka-1208, Bangladesh. GPO Box No. 934, Dhaka-1000.