Tribunal to examine whether it has jurisdiction to investigate Sagar-Runi murder case

The prosecution of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) will review whether the tribunal has the jurisdiction to investigate the murder case of journalist couple Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi.

ICT Chief Prosecutor Md Aminul Islam said this after receiving a written application on Sunday.

Runi's brother Nowsher Alom Roman, accompanied by her son Megh, went to the tribunal and submitted the application. The application requested either an investigation into the case or the sharing of any information the tribunal has on the matter with the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI).

The chief prosecutor told journalists, "They have submitted a written application. They want our agency to investigate the case or share the information we have with the PBI."

He said that on the face of it, the Sagar-Runi murder appears to be an incident of a single killing. However, it will be examined whether it falls within the scope of a widespread or systematic crime.

"Even if it does not fall within our jurisdiction, we will inform them of that," Aminul Islam said.

In response to a question from journalists on whether any possible lead has been found in the Sagar-Runi murder case, the chief prosecutor said that during the investigation of another case, the tribunal's investigators found a possible link between two individuals. One of them is a person from the cultural arena and the other is a military officer currently under trial at the International Crimes Tribunal.

Aminul Islam said the prosecution had earlier stated that the investigation found information about communication between that cultural personality and the military officer. The investigation also revealed the handover of a disc through an associate of the military officer.

However, due to ongoing judicial proceedings, the chief prosecutor was unwilling to disclose details or confirm the names of the individuals discussed in the media.

He made it clear that the PBI is acting as the main and independent investigating agency in the Sagar-Runi murder case.

He also said that if any information, lead or evidence related to this case is found in the tribunal's own investigation, it will be provided to assist the PBI's investigation.

On February 11, 2012, the bodies of journalist couple Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi were recovered from their rented flat in Paschim Rajabazar in the capital. Although the case has been under investigation for a long time, the mystery of the murder has still not been uncovered.