SQ Chy’s verdict leak: Family freed, lawyer jailed
Clearing the family of all charges, a Dhaka court today jailed a lawyer of executed BNP leader Salauddin Quader Chowdhury and four others over a draft war crimes verdict leak of 2013.
- Wife, son of SQ Chy acquitted
- Lawyer Fakhrul gets 10yr in jail, Tk 1cr fine
- 4 others jailed for 7 years each
- ‘Investigators couldn’t trace how the verdict was leaked’
SQ Chowdhury’s wife Farhat Quader Chowdhury, son Hummam Quader Chowdhury have been cleared of all charges. His manager, an assistant and a former court official have been convicted.
Lawyer Fakhrul Islam has been handed 10 years in jail and Tk 1 crore in fine. According to order, he will have to endure additional six months of imprisonment upon failure to pay the fine.
READ MORE: At least 20 had access to draft verdict
Meanwhile, Salauddin's manager Mahbubul Ahsan, counsel Fakhrul Islam, Fakhrul's assistant Mehedi Hasan, the tribunal's then office assistant Faruk Hossain and peon Nayan Ali have been handed seven-year jail terms.
Judge KM Shamsul Alam of Cyber Tribunal declared the verdict today after deferring the verdict twice citing reasons that he could not prepare the complete judgement.
On October 1, 2013, soon after pronouncement of the war crimes case verdict, Salauddin's wife and family members showed “a copy of the verdict” to newsmen and claimed that it was leaked. Three days later, detectives filed the case.
On August 28, 2014, detectives pressed charges against Farhat, Hummam and five others for their alleged involvement in the incident and the court framed charges against them on February 15 this year.
ALSO READ: Death to Salauddin Quader Chowdhury
According to the charge sheet, Salauddin's wife and son “hatched conspiracy and instigated” the leak while Fakhrul “facilitated” it. Mehedi, Mahbubul, Faruk and Nayan were “directly involved” in the crime.
However, according to the verdict, Md Shahjahan, the investigation officer of the case, could not trace how the verdict was leaked in practicality. The judge said he cleared the family on this ground.
Salauddin was executed at Dhaka Central Jail on November 22 last year convicted of committing crimes against humanity during the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971.