Law Ministry has no role in ex-President's departure: Asif Nazrul

Law Adviser Asif Nazrul has clarified that neither he nor the Ministry of Law had any involvement in the departure of former President Abdul Hamid from the country. He stated that the responsibility for preventing the foreign travel of Abdul Hamid, who is a suspect in a murder case, lies with the police and intelligence agencies, and is not within the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Law.

Asif Nazrul made the statement on Friday (May 9) via a post on his verified Facebook account.

In the post, the law advisor wrote, "Some individuals are spreading vile lies and making offensive comments on social media regarding me. I want to make it clear that the responsibility to prevent former President Abdul Hamid, a murder case defendant, from traveling abroad lies with the police and intelligence agencies, and it is in no way a matter under my Ministry of Law's jurisdiction."

He further clarified, "Judges in the lower courts fall under my ministry. As you all know, it is not the responsibility of the court judges to guard airports or to obstruct anyone’s movement."

Regarding the issue of banning the Awami League, Asif Nazrul explained that the provision to ban the party under the ICT Act had been included in the draft prepared by the Ministry of Law. "As the law advisor, I myself brought this up in the advisory council meeting. How is it possible for me to oppose my own proposal? Therefore, I urge everyone to refrain from blaming any advisor or student representatives for what happened in the advisory council meeting," he said.

He further noted, "There is no disagreement among us regarding taking action against the Awami League. However, there may be differing opinions on the approach."

The law advisor also emphasized, "We must remember that we can amend the ICT Act in just a few days if necessary. There are other laws, such as the Anti-Terrorism Act, that can also be used to ban the Awami League. Therefore, the law is not an obstacle. If the political parties wish to ban the Awami League or if any judicial review or court ruling on this matter occurs, the party can certainly be banned in accordance with the law in a timely manner."