Ctg arms haul case: Death reference sent to HC

A Chittagong tribunal on Thursday handed the death reference in the 10-truck arms cases to the High Court for scrutinizing the judgment pronounced last week by it. A total of 14 people, including former industries minister and Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Motiur Rahman Nizami, former state minister for home and BNP leader Lutfuzzaman Babar and several intelligence officials were awarded death penalty by Judge SM Mojibur Rahman of the Chittagong Metropolitan Special Tribunal-1 on January 30. The tribunal today handed over the papers and documents of the two cases filed over the Chittagong arms haul along with the copy of the verdict to the High Court. The staff of the special tribunal delivered the copy of the judgment to the death reference section of the apex court in the afternoon. The section will now register the cases as a death reference and prepare a paper book containing all the documents related to the cases. Sources at the HC said the convicts of the cases can file separate appeals with the apex court challenging their convictions in 30 days from the date of delivery of the lower court verdict, according to a news agency.