A High Court division bench on Wednesday took up for hearing the appeals filed by four condemned convicts, including war crimes accused Jamaat-e-Islami ameer Motiur Rahman Nizami, in the sensational Chittagong 10-truck arms smuggling cases.
The three other appellants are former DGFI (Directorate General of Forces Intelligence) Maj Gen (retd) Rezzakul Haider Chowdhury, former DG of National Security Intelligence (NSI) Brig Gen (retd) Abdur Rahim, and its Deputy Director Maj (retd) Liakat Hossain.
Emerging from the designated HC division bench, headed by Justice M Razaul Haque, Barrister Emran A Siddiqui, the counsel for Nizami confirmed the matter.
On January 30, Chittagong Metropolitan Special Tribunal Judge SM Mojibur Rahman sentenced to death 14 people, including Nizami and former State Minister for Home Lutfozzaman Babar, in the sensational 10-truck arms smuggling case, after 10 years of the incident.
The 14 convicts were also sentenced to life term imprisonment under section 19(A) and seven years imprisonment under section 19 (C) of the Arms Act filed in connection with the arms haul. Besides, the condemned convicts were fined Tk 5 lakh each.
The others awarded death penalty in the case are United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah; former additional secretary (Industries) Nurul Amin; the then Chittagong Urea Fertilizer Ltd (CUFL) MD Mahsin Uddin Talukder and its GM (administration) KM Enamul Hoque; three businessmen Hafizur Rahman Hafiz, Deen Mohammad and Haji Abdus Subhan.
The court, however, acquitted 38 of the 52 accused in the smuggling case while 36 of the 50 accused in arms case.
A decade ago, on April 1, 2004, 10 truckloads of arms were seized from two vessels at the Chittagong Urea Fertiliser Ltd jetty.
Investigators revealed that the huge ammo delivery was intended for the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA).
The seized arms and ammunition included 4,930 sophisticated firearms of different types; 840 rocket launchers; 300 rockets; 27,020 grenades; 2,000 grenade-launching tubes; 6,392 magazines; and 11.41 million bullets were recovered on April 2, 2004 from the jetty of Chittagong Urea Fertiliser Ltd (CUFL).
Source: UNB Connect
