Prosecution of Charges
Since 2007, prosecution has been emphasized for the arms smuggling and illegal arms charges in this smuggling case. Those charged in this case have included the following politicians and military officers who had held senior positions in the BNP-led government, which resigned at its end of term in late October 2006:
- former directors general of National Security Intelligence (NSI): Major General Rezzakul Haider Chowdhury and
- Brigadier General Abdur Rahim;
- former Additional Secretary to the Industries Ministry, Nurul Amin;
- former NSI directors: Wing Commander Shahabuddin Ahmed,
- Major Liakat Hossain, and
- Field officer Akbar Hossain.
In addition, the following prominent businessmen were charged in this case: Mohshin Talukder, managing director of Chittagong Urea Fertiliser Limited, and its general manager, AKM Enamul Haque.
The military wing chief of ULFA, Paresh Baruah, was also charged. Since 1979, ULFA has been implicated in violence resulting in the deaths of thousands in its struggle for independence of Assam from India. In August 2005, Paresh Baruah said that ULFA had conducted raids on oil pipelines in Assam, causing severe damage. "The Indian authorities have long complained that Bangladesh has become a safe haven for insurgent groups active in north-eastern Indian states." Since 2008, the government of Bangladesh has been working with India against such terrorist groups.
Nurul Amin and Paresh Baruah fled the country before being arrested. Many of the other suspects were arrested.
On June 26, 2011, the current Investigation Officer in the smuggling case submitted a supplementary charge sheet before the court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Paresh Chandra Sharma, that implicated eleven more people. Including overlap, the total number of suspects charged were 50 in the smuggling case and 52 in the arms case. New people charged included Motiur Rahman Nizami, former Industries Minister under the BNP government; and Lutfozzaman Babar, former State Minister for Home Affairs. Four suspects have died since original charges were filed.
Read more about this topic: 10-Truck Arms And Ammunition Haul In Chittagong
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