Mobarak trial: Credibility of prosecution papers questioned

Apparently irked, the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT)-1 asked on Wednesday the designated prosecutor to collect a report from the Brahmanbaria Deputy Commissioner (DC) about the authenticity of its documents containing the list of Razakars and members of the Peace Committee (collaborators) in Akhaura thana during the 1971 liberation war, reports UNB.

"Collect the report from Brahmanbaria DC in this connection to satisfy us as the documents appear confusing and place it on May 27," Justice M Enayetur Rahim, chairman of the three-member tribunal, told prosecutor Shahidur Rahman.

"Earlier, you didn't comply despite repeated requests", he said.

The ICT-1 chairman came up with the view following objection raised by Tajul,Islam, the defence counsel for war crimes accused Mobarak Hossain, an alleged Razakar commander in 1971, while making his defence case summing-up argument on law-points.

The defence counsel told the tribunal that the prosecution document as 'managed' from the office of Brahmanbaria DC containing the list of the 1971 Razakars and members of the Peace Committee in Akhaura thana does not bear any credibility.

"In the document, the name of my client has been identified as Mobarak Haji which is absolutely baseless as my client didn't perform Hajj in the meantime while there was no existence of Akhaura thana in 1971, it was established in 1976," argued Tajul.