Ilias Ali disappearance: Air Force Wing Commander Saifur sent to jail after ICT rejects bail
BNP has long alleged that Ilias Ali was forcibly disappeared on the instructions of the then-Awami League govt, with the prosecution stating that RAB's intelligence wing was directly involved
The International Crimes Tribunal-1 rejected the bail application of Bangladesh Air Force Wing Commander Saifur Rahman Saif and ordered him sent to jail, showing him arrested in a crimes against humanity case over the 2012 forced disappearance of BNP leader and former lawmaker Ilias Ali.
A three-member bench of ICT-1, headed by Justice Golam Mortuza Majumder, passed the order following a hearing today (23 August). The tribunal also set 25 October for the submission of the investigation report in the case.
Earlier today, Wing Commander Saifur was brought to the tribunal in an Air Force microbus under security at around 9am and kept in the tribunal lockup. On 9 August, ICT-1 had issued an arrest warrant against him following a petition filed by the prosecution.
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Chief Prosecutor Md Aminul Islam submitted a petition before the tribunal seeking to show Saifur arrested in the case and send him to custody. Conversely, defence lawyer Tabarak Hossain filed a petition seeking his bail.
During the hearing, defence counsel Tabarak told the court that Saifur was commissioned into the Air Force in 2003 and is an accomplished officer with an unblemished record.
He argued that while many accused individuals have absconded, Saifur presented himself before the court out of respect for the law. Tabarak assured the bench that his client would cooperate fully with the investigation whenever required, suggesting that the court could grant him bail under Air Force custody or revoke it if he interfered with the probe.
Opposing the bail plea, ICT Chief Prosecutor Aminul Islam stated that the prosecution has received numerous allegations and gathered sufficient evidence linking Saifur not only to the abduction of Ilias Ali but also to multiple other killings.
"We have obtained evidence of Wing Commander Saifur's direct involvement in the abduction of Ilias Ali through preliminary investigations and witness statements," Aminul later told reporters, adding that the roles of other individuals involved, including retired Lieutenant General Sheikh Mamun Khaled, are also under investigation.
Following arguments from both sides, the tribunal denied bail and ordered Saifur sent to prison.
Ilias Ali, then organising secretary of BNP and a two-time elected member of parliament from the Sylhet-2 constituency, went missing along with his driver, Ansar Ali, from the capital's Banani area on the night of 17 April 2012. Neither has been traced since.
The BNP has long alleged that Ilias Ali was forcibly disappeared on the instructions of high-ranking officials of the then-ruling Awami League government, with the prosecution stating that the intelligence wing of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) was directly involved.
Saifur Rahman, then a squadron leader in the Air Force, was on deputation serving in RAB's intelligence wing at the time of the incident.
Saifur, who is the son-in-law of former army chief General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed, most recently served as the deputy director of the Directorate of Air Training at BAF headquarters.
