10-truck arms haul: Babar, 4 others acquitted in another case

The High Court on Tuesday acquitted five people including former state minister for home affairs Lutfozzaman Babar in a case filed under the Arms Act over the sensational 10-truck arms haul in 2004, with his lawyers saying there are no legal barriers to his release as a result.

The bench of Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam and Justice Nasreen Akter passed the order after a hearing, reports UNB.

The others acquitted are former DGFI director Maj Gen (Retd) Rezzakul Haider Chowdhury, Mohsin Talukdar, Enamul Haque and Nurul Amin.

The court also commuted the death sentences of five convicts to different jail terms.

Of them, Indian separatist outfit United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) chief Paresh Barua’s death sentence was reduced to 14 years in jail, while the death sentence of Akbar Hossain, Liakat Hossain, Hafizur Rahman and Shahabuddin was commuted to 10 years.

Besides, the court also exempted four others including former Jamaat-e-Islami chief Motiur Rahman Nizami, Dwin Mohammad, former National Security Intelligence director general Abdur Rahim and Hazi Abdus Sobhan as they had died during the trial proceedings.

Motiur Rahman Nizami was executed in 2016 for crimes against humanity.

All of them had been given life imprisonment in the case.

Earlier, on December 18, last year, the High Court acquitted six death row convicts including Lutfozzaman Babar in a case filed under the Special Powers Act.

On April 1, 2004, 10 trucks of arms were seized at the Chittagong Urea Fertiliser Ltd jetty.

Two cases – one under the Arms Act and another under the Special Powers Act – were filed at Karnaphuli police station the following day, naming 50 people as accused in the arms case and 52 in the other.

On January 30, 2014, Chittagong Metropolitan Sessions Judge SM Mujibur Rahman sentenced 14 people to death under the Special Powers Act.

They were also handed life imprisonment and seven years' imprisonment each under two sections of the arms case.

The 14 sentenced to death included former Jamaat-e-Islami chief Motiur Rahman Nizami, former state minister Lutfozzaman Babar, ULFA chief Paresh Barua, former DGFI director Maj Gen (Retd) Rezzakul Haider Chowdhury and former NSI director general Abdur Rahim. The charges were related to smuggling under the Special Powers Act.