Crime against Humanity: Controversial post lands Babu in tribunal

MH Patwari Babu, who drew widespread attention on social media over allegations involving Tk 12,000 crore, surrendered before the International Crimes Tribunal on Sunday.

He appeared before the tribunal, where the prosecution informed the court that a hearing on the matter would be held at a later date.

Earlier, Babu had made a series of allegations in a Facebook post concerning the trial proceedings of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina. In the post, he claimed that several individuals — including Law Adviser Asif Nazrul, lawyer Shishir Monir, former Chief Prosecutor Tajul Islam, and Justice Golam Mortoza Majumdar — had collectively received large sums of money from various sources to influence the outcome of a case.

He also alleged that evidence related to the matter, including CCTV footage and data storage devices at the tribunal, had been removed. These claims have not been substantiated.

Taking the matter into cognisance as alleged contempt of court, the tribunal issued an arrest warrant against Babu on 7 April.

The court also directed authorities to take legal action against individuals involved in disseminating the post, including those who had liked, shared or commented on it.

Following the order, law enforcement agencies conducted a search operation in the Uttara area of the capital, but he was not located at the time. He later appeared before the court and surrendered.

Officials concerned noted that the post had attracted significant engagement on social media, with thousands of reactions and shares, and is being examined in the context of its potential impact on public confidence in the judiciary.