IO denies influencing witnesses

The latest investigation officer of the sensational ten-truck arms haul cases yesterday denied that he influenced statement of any witness.
While being cross examined by a defence lawyer, Additional Superintendent of Police Md Moniruzzaman Chowdhury of Criminal Investigation Department gave the statement which was recorded in Chittagong Metropolitan Special Tribunal-1.
Advocate Fazlul Karim Bhuiyan was defending Mohsin Uddin Talukder, the then managing director of Chittagong Urea Fertiliser Limited (CUFL) and one of the accused in both the cases.
The defence lawyer alleged that Moniruzzaman influenced the witness Maj Gen (retd) Mohammad Imamuzzaman, the then chairman of Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC), to accuse some innocent people like Mohsin in his statement.
Fazlul argued that the IO composed a statement and took Imamuzzaman's signature on the printout of that on September 2 in 2010. Then he penned the statement, which he filed in the docket, copying every line of the printout.
Denying the allegation Moniruzzaman, said he had recorded what Imamuzzaman narrated to him.