Tribunal bribery case: Preliminary evidence found against prosecutor Saimum

The investigation committee has found preliminary truth to the allegations of demanding bribes against recently resigned prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal, Saimum Reza Talukder. Chief Prosecutor Aminul Islam said on Tuesday, April 21, that the audio of Saimum's conversation regarding securing bail has been confirmed as authentic, and Saimum himself has admitted to the matter. However, evidence of actual bribe transactions has not yet been found. The committee's work is ongoing.

According to the allegations, Saimum demanded crores of taka from the family of former MP for Chattogram-6 constituency, Fazle Karim Chowdhury, in exchange for getting him discharged from a murder case related to college student Wasim Akram during the July mass uprising. Following widespread discussions over the issue, the tribunal formed a fact-finding committee.

Saimum resigned from the position of prosecutor on March 10. Just hours after his resignation, two audio recordings were leaked, capturing conversations between Saimum and Fazle Karim's lawyer, Rizwana Yusuf. The recordings hinted at a possible agreement to drop the accused's name in exchange for Tk 1 crore. Subsequently, a five-member fact-finding committee was formed under the Chief Prosecutor.

Saimum Reza was appointed to the position on October 7, 2024.