Chittagong, Oct 3 (bdnews24.com) – A former senior official has given written testimony to a Chittagong court in the sensational 10-trucks arms haul case.
Former chairman of Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC), Maj Gen (retd) Imamuzzaman, gave the testimony to Chittagong Metropolitan Magistrates' Court under Section 164 on Tuesday.
The police seized 10 truckloads of weapons and ammunition from the CUFL jetty in Chittagong on the night of April 1, 2004. Imamuzzaman was then chairman of BCIC. Chittagong Urea Fertiliser Limited (CUFL) is a BCIC subsidiary.
The police filed two cases – one under arms law and the other for smuggling.
Nirmalendu Bikash Chakravarty, assistant commissioner (prosecution) of Chittagong Metropolitan Police, told bdnews24.com that metropolitan magistrate Mahabubur Rahman recorded the testimony of 12 pages.
In the statement, Imamuzzaman mentioned the roles of the then industries minister Matiur Rahman Nizami, secretary and additional secretary of the ministry and officials of CUFL in detail.
Earlier, former director of NSI (National Security Intelligence), the then two DIGs (deputy inspector generals) and the CMP commissioner gave testimony as witnesses in the case.
In light of the evidence, the police on Sunday appealed the Chittagong Metropolitan Magistrates' Court for granting remand of former home state minister Lutfozzaman Babar for interrogation in the case.
CID senior assistant superintendent Maniruzzaman Chowdhury, also investigation officer of the case, requested for a 10-day remand.
The investigation officer, Maniruzzaman, questioned officials from the navy, coast guards and customs in this connection. Former NSI directors general Abdur Rahim and Enamur Rahman, its deputy director Liyakat Hossain, field officer Akbar Hossain and another official Shahabuddin, and former CUFL managing director Mohsinuddin Chowdhury and director (admin) AKM Enamul Huq were arrested in the cases.
Following a court order on Feb 12, 2008, the CID appointed Ismail Hossain as the investigation officer in the arms haul case who had twice approached the court to obtain an extension to complete the investigation.
On January 18 last year, the court appointed Maniruzzaman as the new investigation officer.
In the course of his investigation, Maniruzzaman has arrested a number of high-profile suspects, including two former directors general of the NSI and navy officers and secured their confession.
However, Maniruzzaman also got several extensions.
bdnews24.com/mc/skb/pks/ta/2029h
