The trial has begun of ten individuals accused in a case filed in connection with the seizure of a cocaine consignment at Chittagong port.
The court of Fourth Additional Chittagong Metropolitan Sessions Judge Shariful Alam Bhuiyan has fixed March 3 for the presentation of testimony and hearing on Monday.
Advocate Mohammad Fakhruddin Chowdhury, metropolitan public prosecutor (PP), confirmed the matter to Dhaka Tribune.
He said the defendants’ lawyer appeared in court and requested that five of the accused be released.
“However, the appeal by the accused was not accepted by the court. Five of the accused appeared in court, while the other five are still fugitives,” Fakhruddin added.
They were charged under Sections 25B and 25D of the Special Powers Act of 1974. A total of 22 state witnesses have testified in the narcotics case.
On June 6, 2015, the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Department seized a shipment of sunflower oil at Chittagong port on suspicion of the consignment being of cocaine.
On June 27, cocaine was detected in one of the 107 drums of the oil shipment.
Later, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of police identified cocaine in samples of oil consignment drums no 96 and 59 at four laboratories, including the Narcotics Control Department's chemical laboratory.
On June 27, 2015, a case was registered under the Narcotics and Smuggling Act with Bandar police station.
However, on December 25, 2015, Chittagong Metropolitan Magistrate Rahmat Ali directed the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) to probe the case further after rejecting the charge sheet.
On June 25, 2020, RAB-7 submitted the charge sheet in the case to the prosecution branch of the Chittagong Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court.
The accused are Cosco Shipping Agency Manager AKM Azad, Mondol Group’s Commercial Executive Atikur Rahman, real estate company official Mostafa Kamal, Prime Hatchery Limited Manager Golam Mostafa Shohel, security company official Mehedi, Saiful Islam, and two expatriates Fazlur Rahman, Bokul Miah, Khan Jahan Ali Limited’s Chairman Nur Mohammad and his brother Mostaq Ahmed.