At least 25 prosecution lawyers of Bogra have been found to be involved in assisting the BNP-Jamaat men who are accused in cases filed by the state over murder and political violence in the district last year.
Five of the counsels – also members of ruling party-backed Awami Ainjibi Parishad – had already been warned for breaching the job rules, public prosecutor Md Montejar Rahman Montu and General Secretary of the Parishad Naresh Mukherjee confirmed to the Dhaka Tribune.
“Even though five lawyers have been asked to refrain from such acts as per departmental action, many other prosecution lawyers and other lawyers under the Parishad are consistently helping the accused with legal advice,” Naresh said.
“We will inform the Law Ministry about the matter soon,” he added.
Montejar said: “A lawyer cannot work against a state case after he/she is appointed as a prosecution counsel.”
Most of the accused state counsels, however, have refuted the allegation.
Earlier, the Awami Ainjibi Parishad warned additional public prosecutor Zakir Hossain Nabab for providing legal assistance to the persons who are accused in a case filed over vandalism and arson attack on the local Awami League office in Shahjahanpur on March 2 last year.
As many as 279 people, mostly members of Jamaat-e-Islami, are accused in this case. The attacks were launched to protest against the death penalty awarded for Jamaat leader Delawar Hossain Sayedee saying that he was seen in the Moon.
Of the four other state counsels, Parishad member Md Yunus Ali assisted Shah Alam – an accused in the case filed over arson attacks on government offices in Nandigram.
The three other lawyers, who are accused of assisting the Jamaat-Shibir men, are additional deputy public prosecutor Fazlul Huq Sabuj, additional public prosecutor Abdul Quader Moznu and Rafiqul Islam.