10-truck Arms Case

Hearing deferred

25 October 2011, 18:00 PM

Staff Correspondent, Ctg

A Chittagong court yesterday deferred till November 14 the hearing on the charge framing against the accused in two cases relating to the 10-truck arms haul in 2004. Chittagong Metropolitan Sessions Judge SM Mozibur Rahman passed the order following a time petition filed by the defence lawyers. “We did not get all the certified documents related to the cases till yesterday,” said the defence lawyers, adding that they require more time to prepare for the hearing. The lawyers also sought directives upon the investigators to complete further investigation before the hearing. On February 14, 2008, the Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court ordered further investigation into the cases following an appeal filed during the tenure of the last caretaker government by the then Public Prosecutor Ahsanul Haque Hena. The court directed to probe seven specific points that the previous investigators had not addressed. The accused, including Jamaat-e-Islami chief Motiur Rahman Nizami and former state minister for home Lutfozzaman Babar, were produced before the court yesterday. On April 2, 2004, police seized 10 trucks of weapons and ammunition from the Chittagong Urea Fertiliser Ltd jetty. Two cases were filed the next day with Karnaphuli Police Station against 43 people in this connection. Names of two accused were dropped as they died. Following submission of the supplementary charge sheets earlier this year, the number of total accused stood at 52 in the case filed for smuggling the firearms and at 50 in the other case filed under the Arms Act.