Ex-Bangladesh minister denied bail in Chittagong arms haul
November 12th, 2010 - 3:10 pm ICT by IANS
Dhaka, Nov 12 (IANS) A court in Chittagong has denied bail to a former minister being probed for links to the 2004 seizure of a huge consignment of arms meant for an Indian militant group operating from Bangladesh.
The court order came late Thursday night after government lawyers and those of Lutfozzaman Babar, a minister in the former Khaleda Zia government, “engaged in a hot debate” over the bail petition, The Daily Star said Friday.
Babar is the first politician to be detained and questioned for the last five days about the arrival of truck-loads of arms, ammunition and explosives that, as per media reports here, were meant for the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA).
Babar has told investigators that ULFA and the embassy of a South Asian country bribed “higher-ups” in the former Khaleda Zia government to ensure safe passage of the consignment.
Ten truckloads of submachine guns, AK-47 assault rifles, other firearms and bullets were seized at the Karnaphuli coast in Chittagong April 2, 2004.
The cache, detected by guards at a warehouse where it was hidden, was meant for the ULFA that was then staging violent attacks from Bangladeshi soil, media reports on the ongoing trial in a Chittagong court have said.
The arms, purchased from China, were brought in a ship owned by a company belonging to Salahuddin Qader Chowdhury, a lawmaker and senior leader of Zia-led Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
Officials have so far questioned a former home secretary, two former chiefs of the National Security Intelligence (NSI) and a former Director General of Field Intelligence (DGFI).
The NSI and DGFI are key intelligence agencies in Bangladesh.
The Sheikh Hasina government has closed down the ULFA camps, evicted many of its top leaders and facilitated their detention by Indian authorities.
- ULFA paid $99 mn bribe for arms' passage in Bangladesh - Nov 11, 2010
- Bangladesh court to question officials in 2004 arms seizure - Sep 29, 2009
- Dhaka police look for ship that carried arms for Indian militants - Oct 25, 2009
- Zia's son did not meet Indian militant, says BNP - Feb 09, 2010
- 'Arms found in Bangladesh meant for Indian insurgent group' - Jun 09, 2009
- Dhaka to prosecute 2 former spy chiefs smuggling arms for Indian rebels - May 18, 2009
- Chittagong arms case: Nabbed Bangladeshi spies confess arms shipments to ULFA - May 22, 2009
- Zia government behind botched ULFA arms shipment, court told - Mar 05, 2009
- Nabbed official tried to send arms to militants in India: Dhaka - May 04, 2009
- Arms haul: Dhaka to question former ministers - May 19, 2009
- `Ex Bangladesh army officer supervised offloading of illegal arms' - Jun 04, 2009
- Won't allow 'subversion' by fugitive Indian militants: Dhaka - Oct 14, 2009
- Bangladesh's opposition lawmakers may resign from parliament - Nov 20, 2010
- Musharraf met Indian militant in Dhaka: Bangladesh minister - Jan 09, 2010
- Dhaka opposition leader alleges 'plot' to kill him - May 07, 2010
Tags: arms ammunition, assault rifles, babar, bangladesh nationalist party, bangladesh nationalist party bnp, field intelligence, government lawyers, indian authorities, intelligence agencies, khaleda zia, qader, safe passage, security intelligence, sheikh hasina, soil media, south asian country, submachine guns, truck loads, united liberation front, violent attacks