Confessional statements
During the tenure of the caretaker government many bigwigs were arrested on corruption charges. Many of them gave confessional statements before the magistrates under Section 164. Most of them are now out and withdrawing the confessional statements given earlier. They have blamed the investigation authorities for extracting statements from them through torture and intimidation. In the current most sensational 10-truck arms haul case investigation, the involved bosses of DFI, NSI have reportedly given confessional statements before the magistrate. One such confessional statement is reported to be the longest and important in the history of "confessional statements" in the country, one which has revealed the names of some godfathers.
However, we expect the investigation agencies will submit a report and the government will charge-sheet some of them. The case will start first in the lower courts for trial. In the meantime, the charge-sheeted accused will approach the High Court for bail. The defendants' lawyers will argue in the High Court that their clients have been indicted in the arms case to tarnish their personal image, the case is politically motivated and their confessional statements were taken by scaring them with poisonous snakes and many other torture tactics like those in Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison. The defendants' lawyers will also strongly advocate in favour of their clients, claiming them as heroes who were holding very high positions. The court will patiently listen to both sides and allow them bail for a few months. The period of their bail will gradually increase.
We believe this will happen because we have heard that those accused of murder are non-bailable; but what we heard was wrong. Even the accused who killed our four national leaders inside the prison while they were under government custody and were under lock-and-key came out clean from the courts for absence of evidence. This so-called 10-truck arms haul is not a murder case, it is simply a smuggling case.
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