Defense tries to sway in attempt to delay trial of Ziaul Ahsan, alleges Chief Prosecutor

Chief Prosecutor Md. Aminul Islam has alleged that the defense is making concerted efforts to delay the trial of dismissed army officer Ziaul Ahsan in a case involving crimes against humanity. He made these accusations during a press briefing at his office on Monday.

The Chief Prosecutor said, "We are facing various adversities in Ziaul Ahsan's case. The accused's defense counsel is his own sister. On every scheduled date, she shows a tendency to stall for time using one excuse or another."

"She comes up with claims such as 'the lawyer is not available,' 'the lawyer is sick,' or 'the lawyer has passed away.' She also files petitions requesting various documents. In this manner, she submits applications to crawl the proceedings of the trial," added Aminul Islam.

The Chief Prosecutor pointed out that the cross-examination of the witness Imrul Kayes, who had previously testified against Ziaul Ahsan, was scheduled for Monday. However, the cross-examination could not be held as Kayes did not show up. Instead, Ziaul's sister and defense lawyer, Nazneen Nahar, requested for additional time. Furthermore, she filed three other petitions before the tribunal.

Aminul Islam claimed that one of the applications—requesting a meeting between the accused and his lawyer—was accepted by the tribunal. However, he asserted that the remaining petitions are entirely irrelevant to the case. The tribunal is expected to pass an order on these matters on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, in response to the defense's time plea, the tribunal has set June 28 as the new date for the cross-examination of Warrant Officer Imrul Kayes, who had already given his deposition in the case.

Background on the Witness's Testimony
Prior to this, on Sunday, Imrul Kayes had provided explosive testimony before the tribunal. He was formerly a runner (bodyguard) for Ziaul Ahsan during the latter's tenure in the intelligence wing of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). Through that association, the army personnel claimed to have been a direct eyewitness to the killing of approximately 150 to 200 people. Additionally, Imrul Kayes also brought up the issue of the enforced disappearance of BNP leader Elias Ali before the tribunal.