HC acquits Babar, 5 others in 10-truck arms haul case
ULFA leader Paresh Baruah has been sentenced to life imprisonment instead of his previous death sentence
The High Court has acquitted former state minister for home affairs Lutfozzaman Babar and five others, who were sentenced to death, in the 10-truck arms haul case in Chattogram.
The bench of Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam and Justice Nasreen Akhter announced the verdict today (18 December).
United Liberation Front of Assam (Ulfa) leader Paresh Baruah's death sentence was also commuted to life imprisonment.
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Other death row convicts acquitted are – former NSI DG Maj Gen (retd) Rezzakul Haider Chowdhury, former managing director of Chittagong Urea Fertiliser Limited (CUFL) Mohsin Uddin Talukder, former CUFL general manager (administration) KM Enamul Haq, former acting industries secretary Nurul Amin.
Babar, however, still cannot walk out of prison right now because he is serving a sentence in another arms case filed over the 10-truck arms haul incident. Babar's lawyer Shishir Monir told media that his appeal in the case is awaiting a hearing in the High Court.
Among the acquitted accused, former Jamaat-e-Islami ameer Matiur Rahman Nizami and former NSI DG Brig Gen (retd) Abdur Rahim are already dead, so the cases against them have become ineffective.
Those sentenced to 10 years in prison are – former NSI field officer Akbar Hossain Khan, former NSI deputy director Maj (retd) Liakat Hossain, former DGFI director (security) Wing Commander Shahabuddin Ahmed, accused smuggler Hafizur Rahman, Moinuddin, and trawler owner Haji Abdur Sobhan.
The court gave the verdict after dismissing the death references of the accused and allowing their appeals.
On 1 April 2004, law enforcement officials seized a large cache of weapons while they were being unloaded at the CUFL jetty.
Ten trucks were required to transport the weapons, which had reportedly been smuggled via the Bay of Bengal and brought up the Karnaphuli River.
High-ranking officials and state intelligence agencies were accused of being aware of or involved in the smuggling. The trial began on 6 July 2005.
On 30 January 2014, Chattogram's Special Tribunal-1 sentenced the 14 individuals to death in the highly-publicised 10-truck arms haul case.
On 6 November this year, hearing on the death reference and jail appeals against the verdict began.
Lawyers, including SM Shahjahan, presented appeals for Babar, former DGFI DG Rezzakul Haider, and other defendants, challenging their death sentences and jail terms.
Advocate Shahjahan said the charges in the case's first information report (FIR) were flawed, and the evidence insufficient, contending that punishing the defendants would be against justice.
Former Jamaat-e-Islami ameer Matiur Rahman Nizami was also sentenced to death in the case but was excluded after his execution in a separate war crimes case.
The same defendants received life sentences in a separate arms case, along with additional seven-year terms. Each convict was fined Tk5 lakh as well.
