The war crimes tribunal is set to pronounce its verdict on Wednesday in the case against former BNP minister from Joypurhat, Abdul Alim, for his involvement in atrocities committed during 1971.
The International Crimes Tribunal 2 fixed the date on Tuesday morning.
Prosecutor Zead Al Malum told journalists that the witnesses had given statements against Alim on 15 of the 17 charges in the list .
Alim said during the liberation war he was 41-42 years old, when he committed the crimes against humanity, said Malum quoting Alim.
We expect the court will condemn him to the maximum possible punishment, said the prosecutor.
On completion of placing closing arguments both by the prosecution and the defence, the war crimes tribunal kept the case against pending for verdict on September 22.
Alim was indicted on June 11 last year on 17 counts of crimes against humanity. The tribunal framed the charges on three counts of genocide and 14 counts of crimes against humanity. The prosecution, however, had pressed 28 counts charges against him.
The prosecution says Alim was a leader of razakar, an auxiliary force of the Pakistani occupation army, and also chairman of Peace Committee in Joypurhat. According to the defence, he was elected Joypurhat municipality chairman in 1975 and 1977. Alim was elected as the Member of Parliament from Panchbibi constituency in 1979, 1996 and 2001.
Later, Alim first became the textile minister and later communications minister during the regime of military strongman and BNP founder General Ziaur Rahman in 1978.
According to the charges, Alim had been involved in the killing of 370 Hindus in Koroi Kadipur in Joypurhat on April 26, 1971. He was also involved in killing 10 Hindus at Uttarhat Shahor in Harunjahat under Khetlal police station in May and killing 26 young men at an open field near Joypurhat Railway Station in end-June.
