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Qamrul was allowed treatment at Bangladesh Medical University, where he remains. His lawyer later sought his transfer to Evercare Hospital, submitting several medical reports, and the tribunal initially approved the move.

At yesterday’s hearing, Chief Prosecutor Aminul Islam questioned the authenticity of those reports, saying defence documents showed Qamrul obtained a report from Mount Elizabeth Hospital on February 12 while in jail. He asked how such a report could be issued without the tribunal’s permission.

The tribunal pressed the defence on how the report was obtained and how a doctor issued it without court approval. The defence said the examinations had been conducted with permission from a lower court. When the order was read out in the court, a tribunal member noted it contained no such provision.

The chief prosecutor also said another report submitted by the defence was signed by a doctor from a diagnostic centre in Kamrangirchar, within Qamrul’s former constituency. The tribunal chair questioned whether the doctor exists and how the report was issued without approval.

Contacted later, a lawyer for Qamrul told The Daily Star they were preparing to submit a certified copy of the lower court order permitting the examinations.

CHARGES FRAMED

Earlier, the tribunal framed three charges against former minister Rashed Khan Menon and Qamrul over alleged crimes against humanity linked to killings on July 19, 2024.

Asked in the dock, both pleaded not guilty and said they expected justice.

The charges allege that Menon, Qamrul and Awami League leaders attended a 14-party meeting chaired by then prime minister Sheikh Hasina, which directed suppression of the anti-discrimination student movement and a nationwide curfew, after which deaths, injuries and crimes against humanity allegedly occurred.