Nizami's trial: Fresh argument from Mar 10

UNB, Dhaka :
Referring to its earlier stance, the reconstituted International Crimes Tribunal-1 on Wednesday set March 10 for hearing the summing-up arguments afresh in the case of detained Jamaat-e-Islami ameer Matiur Rahman Nizami being tried on charges of crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War.
The prosecution will initiate summing-up argument afresh followed by the defence counsel, said the tribunal.
Earlier, similar rehearing on summing-up arguments in the case of condemned Jamaat-e-Islami nayeb-e-ameer Delwar Hossain Sayedee had taken place after the reconstitution of the ICT-1 with Justice ATM Fazle Kabir, following the resignation of its chairman Justice M Nizamul Huq amid the leakage of the skype conversations and email communications with Dr Ahmed Ziauddin, a Brussels-based Bangladeshi expert on international war crimes, over running the trial.
At the outset, the three-member tribunal with its newly-appointed chairman Justice M Enayetur Rahim resumed yesterday, 56 days after
Justice ATM Fazle Kabir went on retirement, both the prosecution and the defence counsel congratulated the new chairman and promised their cooperation with him in dispensation of justice.
Designated prosecutor Zead Al Malum and Mohammad Ali appeared for the prosecution while Tajul Islam stood for the defence counsel.
In reply, ICT chairman Justice M Enayetur Rahim, flanked by his two other colleagues – Justice Jahangir Hossain and Justice Anwarul Haque – recalled his oath of office under the constitution and said he would ensure fair trial in the exercise of his judicial functions.
The tribunal had kept pending its verdict in the Nizami case to be delivered any day, after closing the summing-up arguments from both sides since November last year.
Asked as to how many days the prosecution would take for the summing-up arguments with law points afresh in the Nizami case, designated prosecutor Mohammad Ali told UNB that it might take one or two working days.