'I was forced to testify falsely'

A witness in the 10-truck arms haul case, Sergeant Mohammad Helal Uddin Bhuiyan of Dhaka Metropolitan Police on Monday told court that he had to give false deposition because of 'certain circumstances' at that time.

bdnews24.com
Published : 28 August 2012, 05:40 AM
Updated : 29 August 2012, 07:37 AM

A witness in the 10-truck arms haul case, Sergeant Mohammad Helal Uddin Bhuiyan of Dhaka Metropolitan Police on Monday told court that he had to give false deposition because of 'certain circumstances' at that time.

He made the statement during cross-examinations by a defence lawyer in the court of Chittagong Metropolitan Sessions Judge and Senior Special Tribunal-1 Judge S M Mujibur Rahman.

Bhuiyan, who was posted at Chittagong Coal Depot Police Outpost when 10 truckloads of arms were captured in Chittagong in 2004, said: "I was forced to wear shackles and give false deposition in the court on May 22 and 23 in 2006 because of certain circumstances."

Mohammad Ahsan, lawyer for the former National Security Intelligence Deputy Director Major (Retd) Liakat Hossain, began questioning Helal around 12:30pm.

Lawyers Mahmudur Rahman and Abdus Sobhan Tarafder for defendants Hafizur Rahman and then State Minister for Home Lutfozzaman Babar respectively also cross-examined him until 5:20pm after a one-hour-break following Ahsan's questioning.

Sergeant Bhuiyan had testified for the first time in the court in 2006 in the case filed over the arms seizure at the Chittagong Urea Fertiliser Ltd (CUFL) jetty on Apr 1, 2004.

However, he was made an accused in an arms case filed with Sudharampur Police Station. He was arrested and brought to the court in shackles to testify in the 10-truck arms haul case.

He again gave his deposition in the same court on July 29 and 30 following plea from the state.

Asked by lawyer Mahmudur Rahman, Bhuiyan said he had come back to tell the truth.

The counsel asked him whether he had read the oath to tell the truth in 2006 before testifying in the court. Helal replied: "I was told to read the oath and I did."

Asked who ordered him to give the 'false deposition', he told the court: "I can't remember."

Meanwhile, state counsel and Chittagong Metropolitan Public Prosecutor Kamal Uddin alleged that Babar's lawyer Tarafder was merely wasting time with his questions.

Following a heated exchange of words between the two sides, the judge asked Tarafder to shorten the cross-examination.

Earlier, Bhuiyan was cross-examined for a brief period on July 30.

Eleven other accused in the case, including former Industries Minister and Jamaat-e-Islami chief Motiur Rahman Nizami and Babar, were brought to the court amid tight security earlier in the day. 

edited by Biswadip Das

addl reporting by Reazul Bashar and Zahed Sarwar