B'desh politicians face indictment in ULFA arms case

Dhaka, Jun 20: Several high-profile Bangladeshi politicians and top intelligence officials could face indictment in the country's biggest arms haul case involving 10 truck loads of weapons allegedly destined for ULFA hideouts in India, a top police official has said.

"We are now set to submit the supplementary chargesheet based on our (extended) investigations within the stipulated deadline of June 29," a senior official of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) told PTI.

The official was speaking on the outcome of an investigation into the arms haul case of 2004.

He said the probe done over three years and 17 extensions revealed "astounding facts" and the proposed chargesheet would suggest indictment of several high-profile politicians -- now detained -- and intelligence agency chiefs for their role in the abortive weapons smuggling.

The extended investigations were carried out under a court order as the case was initially brought for trial in 2008 before a Chittagong court which declined to accept the investigation report because of ambiguity or incompleteness.

But the court had to extend its deadline 17 times with the CID repeatedly seeking extensions for submitting the supplementary chargesheet as their probe unfolded "revealing facts" behind the haul.

The official said that the proposed chargesheet, among others, would seek indictment of now detained former minister Lutfuzzaman Babar of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party and former minister Motiur Rahman Nizami of the Jamaat-e-Islami, a crucial ally of ex-prime minister Khaleda Zia's past BNP-led four party coalition government.

PTI