Staff Reporter :
Barrister Tureen Afroz was terminated from the post of prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) on charge of committing serious professional misconduct and violating discipline.
Her appointment was also cancelled from the International Crimes Tribunal on the same ground.
Law ministry on Sunday issued a notification in its website in this regard saying that the notice had been issued for the public interest which would come into effect from November 11, 2019.
She was appointed on February 2, 2013.
In a reaction Barrister Tureen Afroz said, “Knowingly, I did not do anything that violated the discipline or breached confidence in any way. I have heard that there will be an inquiry committee, and they will call me to defend myself.
But a decision was taken without calling me to defend myself. Yet I accept the decision.”
She said, “I feel proud of my performance in the ICT. I performed my duty with honor and honesty. War crimes’ trial is a history. I am the part of this history. Even after all this, I want the trials of ICT to continue, and to move forward with success.”
Sources said, the chief prosecutor’s office of International Crimes Tribunal in May, 2018 requested the law ministry to launch an investigation against prosecutor Tureen Afroz over alleged meeting held secretly with an accused of crimes against humanity committed during the Liberation War.
Earlier, the chief prosecutor’s office withdrew Tureen-who earned much acclaim for her performance in dealing with the war crime cases-from all cases and asked the prosecutor to submit all documents.
In a letter, signed by Chief Prosecutor Ghulam Arief Tipoo, it is said that Tureen held a meeting with war crimes accused and former acting director general of NSI, Oahidul Haque, at a hotel.
Oahidul recorded the conversation between him and Tureen. The investigation agency and prosecution got a copy of the conversation.
On April 25, 2018, the ICT-1 sent Oahidul to jail in a case filed for allegedly committing crimes during the Liberation War in 1971.
