ICT-1 Chairman quits over Skype row
Dhaka, Dec 11 (bdnews24.com) — First war crimes tribunal's Chairman Justice Mohammed Nizamul Huq resigned on Tuesday in the wake of a controversy over his reported Skype conversation with an expatriate war crimes expert.
Justice Huq is believed to have resigned to end the controversy touched off by the leak of the said conversation.
Law Minister Shafique Ahmed and State Minister for Law Qamrul Islam confirmed bdnews24.com that Huq had indeed tendered his resignation letter.
"But he will continue to serve as a High Court judge," the Law Minister said.
Later, Justice Huq also confirmed his resignation.
"Yes I have tendered it," he said pre-empting the obvious question regarding the talks doing the rounds in the court since midday.
The first tribunal had not begun proceedings before lunch. Only one of the tribunal's members, Justice Anwarul Haque had arrived in the morning while the chairman had apparently called in sick.
Another tribunal member, Justice Jahangir Hossain, arrived during lunch recess and when the tribunal began its proceedings the chairman remained conspicuously absent giving further impetus to the rumours that he had resigned.
Pro-Jamaat-e-Islami and BNP lawyers demanded resignation of the justice after the Daily Amar Desh published the reported conversation with a Brussels-based academician Ziauddin Mahmud.
Huq was serving as a High Court Justice before being appointed the Chairman of the three-member International Crimes Tribunal-1 on Mar 25, 2010.
Later, the government constituted a second tribunal for hastening the trial of alleged war criminals.
ICT-1 Chairman quits over Skype row | Bangladesh | bdnews24.com