Police asked to report on assets of the fugitives

The Investigation Agency of the International Crimes Tribunal has asked all police commissioners and superintendents of police to report on the assets of 75 fugitive war crimes convicts and suspects.

The agency made the move as the government is thinking about enacting a law to confiscate the properties of the convicted war criminals, Sanaul Huq, co-coordinator of the agency, told The Daily Star yesterday.

The agency also requested the police officials to arrest the fugitives considering it “national duty”, not just a “routine work”.

No progress towards their arrest had been made even after setting up of a five-member monitoring cell, led by a deputy inspector general of police, in 2015.

Copies of the letter, signed by Sanaul Huq, was sent last month to the home secretary, personal secretary of the home minister, inspector general of police, director generals of Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) and National Security Intelligence (NSI), additional IGP of CID and DIG of all ranges for “information and necessary action”. 

“Many fugitive accused have businesses, NGOs, houses and other properties. With the income from the properties, they have been passing quite a solvent life while still on the run. Some of them are even instigating subversive activities,” read the letter.

“Responding to people's demand, the government is mulling enactment of a law to confiscate the properties of the convicts. I am requesting you [officials concerned] to give a report on the assets of fugitive accused after carrying out investigation by at least an inspector-level officer. You are requested to consider the matter as an urgent one,” the letter added.

Different pro-liberation organisations, including Ekatturer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee, freedom fighters and martyred families have been demanding confiscation of properties of the convicted war criminals and distributing the wealth among the victim families.

On September 7 last year, Law Minister Anisul Huq said the government was considering the formulation of a new law to deal with the properties of convicted war criminals.

On December 15, the minister said the government would formulate a law to confiscate the properties of war criminals as they had not accumulated the properties in a fair way.

“NO PROGRESS IN ARREST”

According to the letter, 22 convicted war criminals were on the run while 53 accused, whose cases were on trial or at the pre-trial stages, were fugitives.

“We assume that some of the fugitives are abroad but most of them are still in the country,” Sanaul said.

The trial of the perpetrators of the crimes committed during the Liberation War in 1971 is one of the main political pledges of the government and the prime minister on several occasions at home and abroad and even in parliament vowed to ensure trials and punishment of these perpetrators, read the letter.

“Although, a monitoring cell has been set up in police headquarters as per the directive of the honourable tribunal, but no progress has been made in arresting fugitive accused. Grievance and frustration of victim families of these cases often come to the fore through the media,” it said.

“Against this backdrop, arresting fugitive accused should not be considered only as a routine work, rather, it should be considered a national duty,” the letter added.

On many occasions, the tribunal expressed displeasure with law enforcers' failure to arrest war crimes accused and convicts.

Following tribunal's directive, the government in May 2015 formed a five-member committee, led by a deputy inspector general of police, for ensuring arrest of the fugitives.

Another monitoring committee, consisting eight members, had been formed in 2014 to have the fugitives arrested. That committee too failed to make any headway.

Last month, the tribunal asked the IGP and SP of Mymensingh to explain police's “blatant inefficiency and negligence” in communicating timely the death of a fugitive war crimes accused, which led to his indictment after death. 

The tribunal eventually exonerated the SP as he apologised unconditionally and the IGP said police would be more cautious henceforth.