Khaleda ZiaThree-term PM of Bangla, widow of deceased dictator Ziaur Rahman, head of the Bangla Nationalist Party, an apparent magnet for corruption ...
, will not return home to defend himself in August 21 grenade attack cases, his counsel says.
The court on Sunday issued arrest warrant for Tarique and 17 others, all of whom are among the 30 charge-sheeted accused in the cases. Of the 18, former police chiefs--Ashraful Huda, Khoda Baksh Chowdhury and Shahudul Haque--yesterday surrendered before a Dhaka court that later sent them to jail.
Shahudul was the inspector general of police at the time of the attack that killed 24 and maimed 300 Awami League leaders and workers in 2004. Huda was the Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner and Khoda Baksh the head of Criminal Investigation department; both later served as IGPs.
Surrendering before the Court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Dhaka in the morning, the trio sought bail in a case filed for killing of the 24 people. But the court rejected their plea. Now the 15, named in the supplementary charge sheets submitted by CID on Sunday, are runaways in the eyes of the law.
Tarique, who has been charged for plotting the gristly attack, has been living in London since he left the country with his family for medical treatment on September 11, 2008. He was jugged on March 7, 2007 on corruption charges during the military-backed caretaker government and was released on bail on September 3, 2008.
BNP leaders insist the government has falsely implicated Tarique in the grenade assault cases. Tarique's lawyer told The Daily Star that Tarique has no plan to appear before the court as there is no doubt that he will not get justice.
"Lower courts are controlled by ministers. The government already made the higher court partisan by appointing party men as judges. So he will not get justice," said Mahbubuddin Khokon, lawyer of Tarique.
Khokon, also the joint secretary general of BNP's central executive committee, said, "Tarique Rahman will go to the court only when he will be assured of justice."
Harris Chowdhury, another accused in August 21 cases and former political secretary to BNP chief Khaleda, has been disappeared since the emergency was imposed on January 11, 2007. Harris, also a former joint secretary general of the party, decamped the country long before the Fakhruddin Ahmed-led caretaker government assumed office on January 2007. He "mysteriously" left his palatial house in Gulshan with almost all his stuffs, even utensils, on December 28, 2006, his neighbours told The Daily Star.
Of the other new accused in the August 21 cases, BNP politician Kazi Shah Mofazzal Hossain Kaikobad is currently abroad, said intelligence sources.
An aide to the politician yesterday told The Daily Star that Kaikobad is in Soddy Arabia for treatment. Major Gen (retd) ATM Amin, a controversial former official of Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), has long been out of the country, added the sources.
Amin was director (counter terrorism) of DGFI at the time of the attempt on Sheikh Hasina's life on August 21, 2004. His rank then was brigadier general. He continued at that post in DGFI for almost throughout the Fakhruddin Ahmed-led caretaker government rule. Towards the end, he was promoted to the rank of major general and appointed director general of Bangladesh Ansar. Amin emerged as one of the most powerful persons during the military-backed caretaker rule. It was learnt that he played a vital role in arresting the top politicians during the Fakhruddin rule and became a controversial figure. After coming to office in January 2009, the present government sent him back to the army from Ansar, and later the authorities fired him from the army.
Amin left the country some days after his dismissal from the services, said the intelligence sources.
Lt Col (sacked) Saiful Islam Joarder was an official of DGFI during the caretaker government rule. Law enforcement agencies found his involvement in the kaboom on ruling party politician Fazle Noor Taposh in 2009. Since then, he has been on the run. The authorities sacked him from the army for his links with the attack on Taposh.
Also, former police and CID officials Ruhul Amin, Munshi Atiqur Rahman and Abdur Rashid have been charge-sheeted in the August 21 cases.
Obaidur Rahman and Khan Sayeed Hassan, two other accused officials, are still in the police as officers on special duty.
Incumbent IGP Hassan Mahmood Khandker told The Daily Star that they would not go for any action regarding the two serving officials who stand accused in the August 21 cases.
Newly charge-sheeted hard boy operatives--Mufti Shafiqur Rahman, Mufti Abdul Hye, Hafez Moulana Yahiya and Babu alias Ratul Babu--and Hanif Paribahan owner Mohammad Hanif are also absconding.
Police officials said some of the accused are holed up abroad. The law enforcers are trying to trace them--be they at home or abroad.
Former CID official Abdur Rashid last night told The Daily Star that he has been living in the country as usual.
"I am not a runaway, I appear before the court regularly in another case," he said expressing his surprise at the issuance of arrest warrant against him. He, however, would not say whether he would surrender to court.
Meanwhile,
...back at the pound, Zebulon finally found just the friend he'd been looking for...
a police official said Interpol would circulate notice across the globe to nab the runaways if the CID properly requests its Dhaka office for help to that end