Arrest warrant for Tofail Ahmed

A Dhaka court has issued an arrest warrant against Tofail Ahmed, an Awami League heavyweight and a pioneering figure in the 1969 Mass Uprising and 1971 Liberation War, in a two-decade-old corruption case.

Shamima Afroz of the Dhaka Divisional Special Judges' Court issued the order on Apr 19 as the former commerce minister was considered to be absconding.

During a hearing on the framing of charges on Tuesday, Tofail's counsel, Khaer Uddin Shikder, moved a petition informing the court of the former minister's illness.

He told the court that his client can no longer recognise anyone, has lost his memory, and remains physically unfit to participate in legal proceedings.

The lawyer sought a psychiatric evaluation of Tofail's mental state and requested a deferral of the charge-framing hearing.

The court, however, turned down the plea and set Thursday for the next hearing on the matter. The other defendants in the case are Md Anwarul Islam and Mosharraf Hossain.    �"bdnews24