General (retd) Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan, the former chief of army staff, stated on Tuesday that corruption related to procurement took place during his tenure, but he did not investigate the matters as they fell outside his jurisdiction.
The former army chief made these remarks during a cross-examination by defence lawyer Abul Hasan at the International Crimes Tribunal-1.
The cross-examination of General (retd) Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan, who previously gave his deposition on 8 and 9 February, concluded on Tuesday. The tribunal has fixed 9 March for the next hearing.
Bhuiyan is appearing as a prosecution witness in the case against former army officer Ziaul Ahsan, who is accused of involvement in enforced disappearances and killings during the fallen Awami League regime.
During the proceedings, Bhuiyan denied allegations that he failed to investigate procurement corruption because of his own involvement.
He further clarified that he did not take legal action against senior officers in the Engineering Corps regarding the identification of illegal wealth, as such actions were outside his authority.
Regarding Ziaul Ahsan’s conduct, Bhuiyan noted that while army law provides for the punishment of subordinates who disobey orders, he did not issue warnings or seek explanations from Ziaul because the officer was serving under the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB).
“It was not within my jurisdiction,” Bhuiyan stated, adding that while no written complaints were submitted against Ziaul, he had received verbal ones.
Bhuiyan also rejected claims that his testimony was a stance against the army or that he had provided false information suggesting the force had been tarnished. He maintained that it was not true that no cause for legal action against Ziaul Ahsan had arisen.
The tribunal framed three charges against Ziaul Ahsan on 14 January in connection with the killing of 104 people. According to the prosecution, Ziaul served as the Director of the Intelligence Wing and ADG (Operations) of RAB between 2009 and 2016.
During this period, he is alleged to have directly participated in, ordered, or approved numerous enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.
The prosecution further stated that Ziaul became a close confidant of Sheikh Hasina after being posted to RAB as a major in 2009.
He remained under the Ministry of Home Affairs until his compulsory retirement as a major general in 2024, without ever returning to his parent service, the Bangladesh Army.
His promotion to major general reportedly occurred without the completion of mandatory training courses or experience in commanding a battalion, brigade, or formation – an event described by the prosecution as “unprecedented” in the army’s professional history.
