Warrant issued against BAF officer

 

The International Crimes Tribunal has issued an arrest warrant for Wing Commander Saifur Rahman Saif of the Bangladesh Air Force in a case concerning alleged crimes against humanity over the enforced disappearance of BNP leader Ilias Ali.

 

International Crimes Tribunal-1 issued the order on Sunday, August 9.

 

Earlier, on August 6, the Office of the Chief Prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal filed an application seeking to show Wing Commander Saifur Rahman as arrested over his alleged involvement in the disappearance of Ilias Ali.

 

Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Aminul Islam confirmed the matter, saying information had emerged indicating Wing Commander Saifur Rahman’s alleged involvement in the disappearance of Ilias Ali. Based on the information, the prosecution filed the application before the tribunal to show him as arrested. Ilias Ali, then BNP organising secretary and a former member of parliament, and his driver, Ansar Ali, went missing from the Banani area of the capital on the night of April 17, 2012. No trace of the two has been found since.

 

Recently, Saifur Rahman Saif was detained from his residence by the Provost, the military police branch responsible for maintaining internal discipline, ensuring security and preventing crimes within the force.

 

He was subsequently kept in the custody of a special cell of the Bangladesh Air Force.