Hasina to be sent directly to jail if returned to Bangladesh: ICT chief prosecutor
Chief prosecutor says she would have no opportunity to surrender if extradited from India and would not be eligible for bail.
Highlights:
- No chance to surrender if extradited from India
- No bail for Hasina, says chief prosecutor
- Hasina has lost right to appeal
- Govt pursuing Hasina's extradition from India
- No legal provision for direct surrender
Ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina would be sent directly to prison if she is returned to Bangladesh from India under the extradition treaty, with no legal opportunity to surrender before the court, Chief Prosecutor of International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) Md Aminul Islam said today (12 July).
Speaking to reporters at his office at the ICT today, Aminul said the government has already requested India to hand over Hasina under the bilateral extradition treaty.
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"If she is under the control of the Indian government, she cannot return on her own. Either she will be handed over to the Bangladesh government under the extradition treaty or she will be pushed back," he said.
The chief prosecutor said that if Hasina is returned under the treaty, she would be arrested immediately and taken to jail.
He also said Hasina, who has been sentenced to death by the tribunal, would not be eligible for bail.
"So far, there is no precedent in Bangladesh of granting bail to a convict sentenced to death," he said.
Aminul said there is no legal provision allowing Hasina to surrender directly after returning to the country.
He also said Hasina has lost her right to appeal because she failed to file one within the statutory deadline.
"Section 21(3) of the International Crimes Tribunal Act clearly states that no appeal can be filed after 30 days. If there is no right to appeal, the sentence will remain in force," he said.
The chief prosecutor further said under the tribunal's verdict, all of Hasina's movable and immovable assets in Bangladesh have been confiscated in favour of the state.
"If she has money in banks or any immovable property in Bangladesh, ownership no longer rests with her," he said.
Providing an update on other ICT cases, Aminul said the investigation into the case over the killings during the Hefazat-e-Islam rally at Shapla Chattar in Motijheel on 5 May 2013 has been completed, and the formal investigation report will be submitted to the tribunal on 21 July.
He added that investigations into the tribunal's 10 major ongoing cases, including those related to the alleged atrocities and crimes against humanity committed during the July-August 2024 mass uprising, are in their final stages and reports will be submitted to the court soon.
