I called judges seeking bail for Tarique Rahman during 1/11: Ex-DGFI chief during remand hearing
He was placed on 5-day remand in murder case.
Former Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) chief Lt Gen (retd) Sheikh Mamun Khaled told a Dhaka court today (26 March) that he had directly contacted judges over Tarique Rahman's bail during the 1/11 period.
"I was in Cumilla during 1/11 and in most cases called judges to give references for Tarique Rahman's bail," he said during a remand hearing at Mirpur Model Police Station in a murder case.
Khaled was produced before the court today in connection with the killing of Delwar Hossain. The investigation officer, Sub-Inspector Kafil Uddin of the Detective Branch (DB) police, sought a seven-day remand for questioning.
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Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Siddiq Azad granted a five-day remand.
During the hearing, prosecutor Omar Faruk Faruki alleged Khaled was a key figure during 1/11, involved in torture and extortion of political leaders and businessmen.
He also alleged that Khaled helped facilitate Sheikh Hasina's rise to power and was later rewarded with the post of DGFI chief.
The prosecution further accused him of links to secret detention facilities known as "Aynaghar" and financial irregularities in the Jolshiri project.
Defence lawyers sought to cancel the remand, saying Khaled was not named in the FIR and there was no evidence for his arrest.
Lawyer Morshed Hossain Shaheen called the case baseless, while Nazrul Islam said his client served in DGFI without engaging in unlawful acts.
In his statement, Khaled denied involvement in the alleged murder, saying he was not at the scene and had no authority at the time.
"By 2024, I was a civilian, who would act on my instructions? There is no basis for remand," he told the court.
He also addressed enforced disappearance allegations, saying he had testified before a commission multiple times and faced no complaints during his tenure.
Khaled was arrested late on 25 March from his residence in Mirpur DOHS by the Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.
