STAFF CORRESPONDENT

A defence lawyer yesterday challenged the chief prosecutor’s earlier claim that bombs were planted inside a secret Rab-run detention centre to kill investigators.

During a charge hearing in an enforced disappearance case involving 17 accused, defence counsel Tabarak Hossain Bhuiyan told the International Crimes Tribunal-1 (ICT-1) that forensic findings showed no explosives were recovered from the site.

On April 6, Chief Prosecutor Tajul Islam told journalists that investigators had found three secret detention centres, known as Aynaghar, including the semi-underground Taskforce Interrogation (TFI) cell, and alleged that timer-fitted bombs had been planted there to target the investigation team.

“The chief prosecutor’s statement does not reflect reality. What was found resembled gravel, not bombs,” Tabarak told the tribunal. Later, he told The Daily Star that a forensic report -- allegedly prepared by the prosecution -- confirmed no explosives were present, though he could not immediately produce the document.

Contacted, ICT prosecutor Shyikh Mahdi maintained that bombs were found and defused by Rab’s bomb disposal unit. He shared two videos showing officials removing an object from a building and disposing of it, but the newspaper could not independently verify whether the object was an explosive.

Mahdi said the prosecution does not conduct forensic tests and suggested the report may have been prepared by Rab.

Tabarak, who represents seven army officers in the case, also told ICT-1 that the prosecution had wrongly framed charges against his clients.

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