The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has ordered former army officer Major Mozaffar Hossain to be produced in a crimes against humanity case involving retired lieutenant general Masud Uddin Chowdhury, report agencies.
The order was issued on Tuesday by ICT-2, headed by Justice Nozrul Islam Chowdhury, following a petition filed by Chief Prosecutor Md Aminul Islam.
Aminul told reporters that Mozaffar, now in army custody, must be produced before the tribunal by 10:00am on July 23 under a warrant issued to the army's adjutant general.
Masud was arrested on March 23.
Initially remanded in cases over embezzlement and human trafficking, he was later shown arrested in Mayin a crimes against humanity case over killings in Feni during the July Uprising. He is a former MP from Feni-3.
Mozaffar was arrested at a house in Banani DOHS on July 15 before being handed over to the army.
He had been on the run since the assassination of then-president Ziaur Rahman during a military coup in Chattogram on May 30, 1981.
Named as a suspect in the Kotwali Police case, the FIR said he was standing beside the president during the killing.
The CID submitted a final report in 2001, admitting it had failed to solve the case.
Aminul said investigators traced Mozaffar while probing Masud through the latter's former personal assistant's call records, where a man identified only as "Jandu" emerged.
"Our investigators found that Jandu was actually Major Mozaffar Hossain."
He claimed Masud and Mozaffar had remained in contact for 16 years and that investigators found evidence linking both men during the period of the alleged crimes against humanity.
He said Mozaffar would be shown arrested after appearing before the tribunal and questioned, possibly alongside Masud.
Responding to questions, Aminul said proceedings under the Army Act over Zia's assassination and the ICT case concern separate offences and do not conflict.
