SC dissatisfied at prosecution, investigation

The Supreme Court yesterday expressed dissatisfaction over prosecutors' and investigators' poor performance in dealing with the war crimes cases.

“The Supreme Court observed that a huge amount of money is being spent on the prosecutors and investigators, but they did not handle and investigate the cases properly,” Attorney General Mahbubey Alam said.

He said this while talking to reporters at his office after a five-member bench of the Appellate Division of the SC, led by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, concluded sixth days' hearing on the appeal filed by war crimes convict Mir Quasem Ali.

The bench gave the observation after examining records and documents of International Crimes Tribunal-2 and said the prosecution could not produce relevant witnesses in a number of charges brought against Quasem.

The attorney general was placing arguments before the apex court yesterday.

Justice SK Sinha told the attorney general that the judges were shocked to note that the prosecutors appear before the media and make statements immediately after a session of the case proceedings at the tribunal.

The chief justice asked the attorney general why action was not being taken against the incompetent prosecutors and investigators.

The chief justice said they sit to hold trial of cases based on evidence and documents, not with the sentiments.   

After the day's proceedings, the apex court set today for resuming hearing on the appeal. 

Mahbubey Alam told reporters that the apex court may finish the hearing today.

The International Crimes Tribunal-2 on November 2, 2014, sentenced Quasem to death after finding him guilty on 10 charges of abducting, confining and torturing people during the Liberation War.

Earlier, the SC in a verdict on the case against war criminal Delawar Hossain Sayedee castigated the prosecutors and investigators for their poor performance in handling the case.