Commodore Rabbani Murder Case: Convict Abu Naser Chy refused bail by apex court

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court yesterday refused to grant bail to Abu Naser Chowdhury, a convict in the Commodore Ghulam Rabbani murder case.

Chamber judge of the Appellate Division Justice Hasan Foez Siddique passed the order after hearing a bail petition filed by Abu Naser.

The apex court judge, however, sent the petition to its full bench for hearing the matter on November 22.

Lawyer Nozrul Islam Chowdhury appeared for Abu Naser Chowdhury while Attorney General AM Amin Uddin represented the state.

Ghulam Rabbani, a former Korean Export Processing Zone (KEPZ) managing director and a former aide-de-camp of Bangabandhu, was shot in the throat by criminals at Muradpur in Chattogram on his way to the KEPZ on April 11, 2004.

Thirteen days later, Rabbani, who also had been a vital prosecution witness in both the Bangabandhu murder and the jail killing cases, succumbed to his injuries at Bumrungrad Hospital in Bangkok.

Rabbani was reportedly killed following a conflict between him and a few of his colleagues at the KEPZ over his appointment as its MD, and termination of two employees of the KEPZ before and after his appointment.

Abu Naser and one Md Selim, two convicts of the case were sent to jail on their surrender before a Chattogram court on December 15, 2016.

Chattogram Speedy Trial Tribunal Judge Muhithul Haque Enam Chowdhury passed the order after former general manager of KEPZ Abu Naser and Selim surrendered before the court.

They surrendered before the court following a High Court order that had directed four accused -- Abu Naser, its former chief security officer Humayun Kabir Chowdhury, Selim and Saiful Islam alias Bilai Saiful -- to surrender to the trial court.

Naser, Humayun and Selim have been sentenced to life term imprisonment and Saiful's acquittal has been cancelled by the HC on February 12, 2014.