Latif Siddiqui produced before ICT in Shapla Chattar crimes case, sent to jail

Former minister and ex-Awami League presidium member Abdul Latif Siddiqui was produced before the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) on Thursday (July 30), a day after his arrest in connection with the Shapla Chattar crimes against humanity case.

Latif Siddiqui was brought to the tribunal around noon in a microbus operated by the Dhaka Metropolitan Detective Branch (DB). His younger brother, Krishak Sramik Janata League President Kader Siddiqui, was also seen at the tribunal premises during the proceedings.

The accused was presented before International Crimes Tribunal-2, headed by Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury.

Following the hearing, the tribunal formally showed him arrested in the case over the alleged killings and crimes against humanity linked to the Shapla Chattar operation and ordered that he be sent to jail.

According to the case documents, Abdul Latif Siddiqui is listed as the 10th accused in the case.

The former minister was arrested by the Dhaka Metropolitan Detective Police from his residence in Gulshan on Wednesday evening.

Hours before his arrest, Latif Siddiqui appeared before a Dhaka court in connection with a separate case filed with Shahbagh Police Station, where he told reporters that he would voluntarily surrender before the International Crimes Tribunal if police did not arrest him.

"I do not usually go into hiding. I always prefer to appear before the law. If the police do not arrest me, I will surrender before the tribunal on Sunday or Monday," he had said.

Latif Siddiqui also denied any involvement in the Shapla Chattar incident, claiming that although he was a minister at the time, he had no role in or direct knowledge of the operation.

His appearance before the tribunal marks the latest development in the ongoing prosecution over the Shapla Chattar violence, one of the high-profile cases currently being heard by the International Crimes Tribunal.