Bangladesh News

The government decided to form an investigating agency, a 12-member prosecution panel and a three-member tribunal to start the process of trying war criminals before this year’s Independence Day.

“We will constitute a six-member investigating agency with a retired inspector general of police as its head before March 26,” Law and Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Shafique Ahmed told reporters after a meeting at the home ministry.

The other members will be senior police and army officers.

He said a three-member tribunal would be constituted headed by an incumbent judge of the Supreme Court. Two district judges will be the other members, Shafique said, adding that a 12-member prosecution panel will be formed with experienced jurists.

“The tribunal, prosecution panel and the investigating agency will be formed through separate gazette notifications simultaneously,” Shafique said.

“We have got a number of names for the proposed tribunal, prosecution panel and the investigating agency. We discussed it today but did not finalise anything. We will sit soon to finalise everything,” he said yesterday.

Asked how long the investigation is going to take, Shafique said there is no time limit under the law for completing the investigation. Replying to another question, he said an accused can be arrested during the investigation if there is enough information and evidence against him.

Home Minister Sahara Khatun, State Minister for Law Qamrul Islam and secretaries of the home and law ministries were present at the meeting.

Sources in the home and law ministries said formation of the tribunal, investigating agency and prosecution panel are almost at the final stage.

Official announcement in this regard will be made within a day or two after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina returns home from China on March 21, they added.

The government had prepared the Old High Court building for holding trials of those accused of mass killings, rape, arson and plundering during the nine-month-long war of independence in 1971. The government also amended the International Criminal Court (ICC) Act, 1973 to pave the way for the long-awaited trials.