Wife, son among 7 charged

Detectives today pressed charges against seven people including wife and son of Salauddin Quader Choudhury for allegedly leaking out draft verdict of a war crimes case against the BNP leader.

The accused are Salauddin’s wife Farhat Quader Chowdhury, son Hummam Quader Chowdhury, his counsel barrister AKM Fakhrul Islam, manager Mahbubul Ahsan, Advocate Mehedi Hassan, tribunal’s muster roll staff Noyon Ali and peon Faruk Hossain.

Among the accused Hummam, Farhat and Mehedi are now absconding. The others were earlier arrested on different dates and are now in custody.

Mohammand Shahjahan, inspector of Detective Branch of police and also investigation officer of the case, submitted the charge sheet to the Court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate showing 25 people as prosecution witness.

The IO prayed to the court to issue arrest warrant against the three fugitives.

During the investigation of the case, Noyon and Faruk gave confessional statement before the magistrates on different dates.    

A 164-page document, which did not contain observations of the sentence, was found on different websites a day before the verdict with claims that it was a leaked verdict of International Crimes Tribunal-1.

Later the law enforcers seized documents and computers from the office of Fakhrul.

Earlier on October 1 last year, International Crimes Tribunal-1 sentenced Salauddin to death for committing crimes against humanity and genocide during the country’s Liberation War in 1971.