A Jubo League leader has been sentenced to two months’ imprisonment for contempt of court after posting false claims about the tribunal on his Facebook account.
On Sunday, a three-member bench of the International Crimes Tribunal, led by Chairman Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder, passed the order.
MH Patwari Babu, who claimed on Facebook that Tk 12,000 crore had been exchanged in connection with a case involving ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina over crimes against humanity during the July–August period, surrendered before the tribunal earlier in the day.
Earlier, the tribunal had issued an arrest warrant against him and also directed authorities to take necessary action against those who liked, commented on, and shared the post.
Taking cognisance of the contempt of court allegation, the tribunal—again led by Justice Golam Mortuza Mozumder—issued the order on April 7.
A few days earlier, Babu made the post on his Facebook account, attaching images of Justice Golam Mortuza Mozumder, Law Adviser to the interim government Asif Nazrul, former Chief Prosecutor of the tribunal Mohammad Tajul Islam, and Supreme Court senior lawyer Shishir Monir.
In the post, he alleged that these individuals had taken around Tk 12,000 crore from various countries and groups to ensure a death sentence for Sheikh Hasina in a “fabricated” case. He also claimed that CCTV footage from the tribunal had been removed and computer hard drives replaced, and that the former prosecutor had fled the country.
He further wrote that if those involved managed to flee without trial, the current government would bear full responsibility, adding that no one is above the law under the Constitution of Bangladesh.
The post received around 6,700 reactions, 1,300 comments, and was shared approximately 1,900 times.
Meanwhile, acting on the tribunal’s order, a police team led by Special Investigation Officer and Prosecutor Tanvir Hasan Zoha conducted a raid in the capital’s Uttara area on Tuesday night but failed to locate the accused.