Senior Correspondent : Speculation is rife that Mohammad Tajul Islam, chief prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), has been removed from his position, though no official confirmation has yet been issued. Journalist David Bergman detailed the matter in a Facebook post, but neither the government nor tribunal officials have commented publicly on the matter.Bergman wrote that the new government has decided to appoint a new chief prosecutor at the ICT in place of Tajul Islam. According to his post, Aminul Islam is being considered for the role.
Aminul previously served as part of the legal team representing former prime minister Khaleda Zia, the mother of current prime minister Tarique Rahman, in a corruption case that resulted in her imprisonment.Citing a source, Bergman said Tajul Islam has already been informally informed of the decision to remove him. When contacted, Tajul declined to comment, Bergman added.
Government spokespersons were also unavailable for comment at the time of writing. In a recent media briefing, Tajul Islam said trials currently under way at the tribunal would continue even if the present prosecution team were no longer in place.When asked at the time whether his own departure was imminent, he said he had received no such indication.Attempts by bdnews24.com to reach Tajul by phone on Monday were unsuccessful. He also did not respond to text messages.
A prosecutor, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “It is certain that he [the chief prosecutor] will be removed. However, whether a formal decision has been reached yet remains unknown.”The International Crimes Tribunal was established to try crimes committed during Bangladesh’s 1971 war of independence and remains one of Bangladesh’s most politically sensitive judicial bodies.
