The International Crimes Tribunal-1 yesterday rebuked the superintendent of police in Mymensingh for not submitting the execution report in last 16 months over the arrest warrant it had issued against three Mymensingh men in a war crimes case.

The two-member tribunal led by Justice Md Shahinur Islam with Justice Md Shohrowardi directed the SP to submit a report on February 16 "stating causes of delay and failure in effecting arrest of those three accused..."

The tribunal asked its registrar to send the copy of the order to both the inspector general of police (IGP) and SP immediately.

The tribunal also criticised the prosecution for showing the three accused absconding in their formal charges "without having any specific information or report in execution ofWA (warrant of arrest| issued against them."

The tribunal on October 1, 2015 issued arrest warrant against eight Mymensingh men, including Jatiya Party lawmaker MA Hannan, and police arrested Hannan and four others on that day.

On October 30 last year, the prosecution pressed charges against the eight mentioning three -Mohammad Abdus Sattar, Mohammad Fakruzzaman and Khandakar Golam Rabbani - absconding.

Earlier in July 2016, the investigation agency handed over probe report of the case to the prosecution showing the three fugitives.

Rezia Sultana Chaman, one of the prosecutors of the case, said the tribunal on December 11 last year took charges into cognisance and asked the IGP to submit a report within two weeks about the fugitives.

Following the order, Tejgaon police of Dhaka sent a report to the tribunal recently mentioning the three as absconding, Rezia said.

But, the prosecutor said,

as the arrest warrant was sent to Mymensingh SP, he was supposed to give execution report but he did not give any report till yesterday.

Contacted, Nurul Islam said he took charge as Mymensingh SP five and half months ago.

"I was aware that MP Hannan is now in jail but I was unaware that no execution report was sent to the tribunal about the three absconding,” Nurul told The Daily Star yesterday. "I am trying to find out why the report was not sent."

The tribunal on Tuesday directed IGP and Nurul Islam to explain police’s "blatant inefficiency and negligence" in communicating timely the death of a fugitive war crimes accused, which led to his indictment after death.

The special court passed the order after it came to know that accused Wazuddin died on May 7 last year but it framed charges against him in absentia on December 11 last year since the prosecution, on the basis of an earlier police report, pressed formal charges identifying him as a fugitive.