Staff Reporter :A total of Tk 13.87 million has been found in the account of ‘Shaheed Hamza Brigade’, of which Tk 10.8 million came from the three lawyers arrested on Tuesday night, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) sources said. They added one Allama Libadi, a Dubai citizen, gave the remaining amount to this militant organisation.RAB arrested the three lawyers on charge of financing militant outfit Shaheed Hamza Brigade from Dhanmondi area of the city. They were arrested after scrutinising the bank account of detained Shaheed Hamza Brigade organiser Moniruzzaman Don. The arrestees — Supreme Court lawyers Barrister Shakila Farjana, 39, and Advocate Hasanuzzaman Liton, 30, and Judge Court lawyer Advocate Mahfuz Chowdhury Bapon, 25, are on remand.Barrister Shakila Farzana arrested in connection with financing the militant organisation. She deposited a total of Tk 52 lakh with the bank account of militant chief of Hamza Brigade, Moniruzzaman, in two separate times. The three lawyers deposited a total of Tk 1 crore, 38 lakh and 70 thousand with the bank account of Moniruzzaman, RAB sources said.Barrister Shakila is joint general secretary of Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Lawyers Forum and wife of Baharuddin of Rahmatganj area under Kotwali Thana. Director of RAB-7, Chittagong, Lt Col Miftah Uddin Ahmed said that the arrested three persons had given Tk.10.8 million to the Shaheed Hamza Brigade. They were arrested on specific allegation of providing financial support to the Hamza Brigade, a militant organisation, he said.”Farzana has paid Tk 5.2 million, Liton Tk 3.7 million and Mahfuz Tk 1.9 million to the militant outfit,” Lt Col Miftah said.Meanwhile, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam on Thursday expressed concern over the involvement of Supreme Court lawyers in financing the militancy outfit.”It is very unfortunate when we are to witness that the lawyers are involved in financing militancy outfit. No lawyers have been held over such allegations before,” he told journalists at his office. Mahbubey Alam said it will be proved in the trial whether the three lawyers are guilty or not as the law enforcers have arrested them based on eliminatory evidence.Meanwhile, Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President Khandaker Mahbub Hossain yesterday said they do not believe that the three lawyers are involved in financing militants.”If the allegations against them are proved, the SCBA will not support them,” he said.`Hamza Brigade` based in Chittagong is now a new active militant organization in the country, the RAB sources said, adding they at first came to know about the name of the militant group from the confessional statements of 12 people detained from Hathazari Madrasa in Chittagong.On February 21, based on their statements RAB launched an operation in Latmoni hill of Banshkhali and discovered a training camp. RAB also arrested five militants from the spot with arms and ammunition.After the raid on the militant training camp, RAB also raided a house in Chittagong city and arrested two militants with arms and ammunition.In separate three drives on April 13, RAB members also arrested four men of the organization with arms.
