Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed announced on Monday that Md Mozaffar Hossain, who was recently arrested in connection with the assassination of former President Ziaur Rahman, had been handed over to the Bangladesh Army and is expected to face trial through a general court martial under military law.
The minister clarified that there is no legal provision to prosecute an individual under two different sets of laws for the same offense.
Speaking to reporters after visiting the Border Guard Bangladesh headquarters at Pilkhana in Dhaka, Salahuddin said Muzaffar had remained a fugitive for decades, living under a false identity in a neighbouring country after a court of inquiry recommended military proceedings against him.
Law enforcement agencies arrested him after intelligence agencies received information that he had returned to Bangladesh, the minister said.
“His trial will be conducted through a general court martial,” Salahuddin stated. He added that the court martial would take into account the previous verdicts and executed sentences of other individuals involved in the same case when determining the decision regarding Mozaffar.
Responding to queries about whether Mozaffar’s associates might face new investigations or criminal charges, he explained that the Military Act specifically applies to army personnel. Since Mozaffar was a fugitive in a case, the Bangladesh Army will proceed according to its internal rules. Any civil court matters that may arise will be reviewed in accordance with the law if they become applicable at a later stage.
Regarding a recent application for a re-investigation filed by a lawyer in Chattogram, the minister noted that any civil court issues would be examined through the proper legal channels. However, he reiterated his stance on the Zia murder case, despite the existence of a final CID investigation report, stating that “the same person cannot be tried twice or under two laws for the same crime”.
