A special court judge acquitted 11 persons – accused in three drug-related cases – allegedly in a hurry in the last three months before he went on retirement earlier this month.
The cases are related to smuggling of heroin worth Tk6 crore and Tk3 crore by some Nigerians – filed with airport and Uttara (west) police stations while another is related to possession of 3,500 Yaba tablets filed with Jatrabari police.
It is alleged that the judge did not give the prosecution time to place the witnesses while he also did not believe charges in the cases.
Court sources alleged that in the last six months, the judge has acquitted the accused in 12 more sensational cases involving smuggling of narcotics.
In the Tk6 crore heroin case, the judge had closed deposition of witnesses before recording of the testimonies. However, the investigation officer and seven other witnesses mentioned about the offence in their depositions.
But the judge acquitted Nigerian citizen Affolian Oladipupu Jacobs on April 30.
Jacobs was arrested at the Dhaka airport on July 30, 2010 with 5.8kg heroin in his possession.
In the case, the trial court was changed five times.
Six other Nigerians, accused of smuggling heroin worth Tk3 crore, were acquitted on June 19. The case witnessed changes in the trial court four times. The judge relieved the accused from the charges after taking deposition of six witnesses in only one month.
Members of Rapid Action Battalion 1 arrested them from a house in Uttara on February 22 last year and recovered 2.7kg heroin from their possessions.
The judge in the orders asked the authorities concerned to place the accused to a local lawyer after release from jail. The seven Nigerians are free now.
Elite force RAB members arrested four people – Abu Salam Mia, Md Jalal Uddin, Mostafa Mia and Md Sharif – on June 27 last year from a bus at Jatrabari with 3,500 illegal Yaba tablets in their possession.
The accused also admitted their involvement to the offence.
After the charges had been framed on October 23, the judge recorded deposition of four witnesses. In his verdict on March 31, he acquitted all the accused.
The trial court in this case too was changed several times.