Probe report due January 25

The International Crimes Tribunal has given investigators another three months to submit a report in a crimes against humanity case over the disappearance of BNP leader Elias Ali, setting January 25 as the new deadline.

A two-member panel of International Crimes Tribunal-1, headed by its Chairman Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder, set the deadline on Sunday. Justice Md Mohitul Haque Enam was the other member of the panel.

Retired Major General Ziaul Ahsan and Bangladesh Air Force Wing Commander Saifur Rahman Saif are accused in the case.

Saif was present at the tribunal on Sunday, while Ziaul appeared virtually from jail due to security concerns.

Prosecutor Zahirul Amin sought another three months to submit the investigation report. Following the plea, the tribunal directed investigators to submit it by January 25.

Prosecutors Mizanul Islam, Tasmirul Islam, Shaikh Mahdi and others were also present during the proceedings.

On August 23, Tribunal-1 rejected Saif’s bail petition, showed him arrested in the case and ordered that he be sent to jail.

The tribunal had also set Sunday as the deadline for submitting the investigation report. On August 9, it issued an arrest warrant against him. Ziaul had already been shown arrested in the case.

According to the prosecution, investigators have received numerous allegations against Ziaul and Saif and gathered sufficient evidence against them.

Investigators have also found information suggesting their involvement in other killings, in addition to Elias Ali’s disappearance.

Elias Ali went missing from Dhaka’s Banani area on April 17, 2012. He was the organising secretary of BNP’s Sylhet unit and was elected a member of parliament from the Sylhet-2 constituency twice.