Controversy it only can create

Several legal experts yesterday said war crimes trial would be disputed as a number of prosecutors and investigators of the international crimes tribunals have collected Awami League's nomination papers.
They find no legal bar for the prosecutors and the investigators on seeking nomination but see it as their “moral turpitude”.
Earlier on Sunday, at least four prosecutors and two top members of the war crimes investigation agency collected AL nomination forms to contest the next general election.
Justice Syed Amirul Islam, a retired High Court judge, said the move would help the anti-liberation forces create controversy over the war crimes trial.
An adverse impact might be caused on people's mind if they contest the next parliamentary polls, he told The Daily Star yesterday.
BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami and other political parties, which are opposing the ongoing trial of the crimes against humanity committed during the Liberation War in 1971, would get a weapon to make the trial controversial if the prosecutors and investigators contested the election, he added.
Justice Amirul ruled out legal bar on them from contesting the elections. But he urged them to backtrack on their decisions.
Supreme Court lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan termed the move a “moral turpitude”.
They showed they were appointed politically for serving the government and were going to get a reward, he added.
“I feel they were appointed to discharge duties fairly and impartially to fulfil the desire and expectations of the nations, and they are being paid for their service,” said Khurshid Alam Khan, also editor of Dhaka Law Report.
He also said there was no legal bar in this regard, but it is contradictory to the ethics and principles.
This correspondent talked to at least three prosecutors and two of them found nothing wrong in collecting nomination papers by their colleagues and the investigators.
Another prosecutor, however, told The Daily Star the matter would “tarnish” the image of the prosecution dealing with such a “sensitive issue”.
“It seems we have given additional weapons to those, who are criticising the trial terming it politically motivated,” said the prosecutor asking not to be identified.
Attorney General Mahbubey Alam, however, said the event would not hamper the ongoing trial.
The prosecutors and the investigators would resign from their offices before submitting nomination papers to the Election Commission, he added.