Tajul sought removal of Prosecutor Sultan in letter to law adviser 1.5 months ago

Recently resigned chief prosecutor Tajul Islam had written to the law adviser about one and a half months ago recommending the removal of International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) Prosecutor BM Sultan Mahmud.

In the letter, Tajul cited various allegations against Sultan, including handing over confidential prosecution office information to the defence without authorisation, breaching trust, discipline and code of conduct, assaulting a Supreme Court Bar security guard, and domestic abuse.

Tajul confirmed to The Business Standard that he had sent the letter on 11 January to Asif Nazrul, law adviser to the former interim government. TBS has obtained a copy of the letter from the Ministry of Law.

Earlier on Monday (23 February), the day a new chief prosecutor was appointed, Sultan alleged on social media that Tajul had made former IGP Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun a state witness in exchange for financial benefits.

In that context, Tajul’s letter sent to the then law adviser about one and a half months ago seeking Sultan’s removal has now come to light.

In the letter, Tajul alleged that Sultan had been supplying important and highly confidential tribunal information to various parties without the authorities’ approval. He wrote that providing sensitive case information without authorisation from the Chief Prosecutor’s Office was illegal and posed a serious security threat to ongoing investigations and judicial proceedings.

The letter also stated that Sultan verbally abused security guard Md Main Uddin in a trivial incident in the lift of the High Court annex building. It further alleged that Sultan later forced him into the Bar Association office room using his gunman and severely assaulted him, causing multiple injuries and issuing death threats.

Tajul said such actions had severely damaged the image of the tribunal and the prosecution team.

He also alleged that Sultan had instructed his gunman to shoot people over trivial matters. According to the letter, four gunmen had voluntarily expressed unwillingness to continue working with Sultan due to such conduct, prompting immediate changes in gunman assignments.

In the removal request, Tajul further alleged that Sultan physically, mentally and socially abused his wife, and that she had filed a complaint.

Tajul also accused Sultan of calling witnesses and victims to their homes at different times and attempting to disrupt ongoing judicial proceedings by providing misleading advice, false information and incitement.

Tajul wrote in the letter, “Such actions have brought the tribunal’s prosecution team into question and damaged the court’s reputation. Disobedience of authorities’ directives, negligence and lack of interest in performing duties, failure to properly discharge responsibilities, and consistent carelessness in carrying out assigned duties have been regularly observed.”

For all these reasons, Tajul requested the removal of Sultan from the post of prosecutor. Along with the letter, he attached a complaint submitted by security guard Main Uddin to the Chief Prosecutor and a handwritten letter from Sultan’s wife addressed to the Chief Prosecutor.

Denying the allegations, Sultan told the media, “They conspired against me because I could expose information about their corruption. As part of that deep conspiracy, they prepared these materials in advance so they could use them against me at the right time. If I had committed wrongdoing, they would have issued a show-cause notice or formal notice, but they did not.”