ICT Prosecutor Bribery Scandal: Fact-Finding Committee Fails to Submit Probe Report After Three Months. A fact-finding committee established to investigate allegations that a former prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) solicited a bribe from the family of a detained #AwamiLeague MP in exchange for facilitating his bail has yet to submit its report, despite the passage of more than three months since the controversy first emerged. News:
 prothomalo.com/bangladesh/np… The allegations first came to light through a joint investigation by @NetraNews and @ProthomAlo. The investigation published transcripts of leaked conversations in which former ICT prosecutor Saimum Reza Talukder, who has since resigned from his position, was allegedly heard speaking with a family member of detained former Awami League MP Fazle Karim Chowdhury. According to the report, Saimum demanded Tk 10 million in exchange for helping secure the former MP's release on bail. The investigation further alleged that at least one investigator involved in the same case may have accepted money from an #Islamist organisation seeking to implicate the former MP in legal proceedings. Report:
 interactive.netra.news/ict-p… The prolonged delay in submitting the fact-finding report has raised additional questions because the committee itself has already acknowledged that the leaked audio recording attributed to Saimum is authentic. News:
 shorturl.at/t9DpW The delay has led some observers to question whether political considerations may be influencing the pace of the investigation. Media reports suggest that Saimum Reza Talukder is associated with the Bangladesh Nationalist IT Forum, a pro-#BNP organisation. Questions have also been raised regarding the independence of the inquiry because the fact-finding committee is headed by Chief Prosecutor Md. Aminul Islam, who has long been associated with pro-BNP lawyers’ organisation. It should be noted that the controversy surrounding Saimum is not the only #corruption-related allegation to emerge from within the ICT prosecution apparatus. Another prosecutor, B. M. Sultan Mahmud, has publicly alleged that the wife of former Sub-Inspector Sheikh Abzalul Haque, an accused in a separate case, visited the office of ICT prosecutor Gazi Monowar Hossain Tamim carrying a large bag. Mahmud alleges that following this visit, Abzalul Haque was transformed from an accused person into a prosecution witness and was subsequently acquitted. He has implied that this sequence of events may have involved an illicit financial arrangement. Mahmud further stated that he and several of his colleagues raised these concerns with then Chief Prosecutor Tajul Islam, but that no action was taken in response to their complaints. Additional concerns have emerged regarding the integrity of potential evidence. According to reports, a hard disk drive containing CCTV footage from outside prosecutor Tamim's office on the day of the alleged visit was reportedly replaced several weeks later, raising questions about possible evidence tampering and obstruction of the investigation. See:
 thedailystar.net/news/news/q… There is also a significant conflict of interest within the fact-finding process itself. Prosecutor Tamim, against whom corruption allegations have been publicly levelled by a fellow member of the prosecution team, is himself a member of the fact-finding committee tasked with investigating the bribery allegations involving former prosecutor Saimum. The inclusion of an individual facing separate corruption allegations on a committee examining related misconduct claims has prompted further scrutiny of the investigation's credibility, transparency, and independence. … #BangladeshCrisis @amnestysasia @IBAHRI @meeganguly @hrw @PearsonElaine @AgnesCallamard @ESandersFCDO @SRjudgeslawyers @justiceinfonet @job71org @icsforum @volker_turk @StateDRL @FCDOHumanRights @Tkbaul @DoughtyStIntl @TheDavidBergman @UNHumanRights

For all his pre-election pledges of “state reform,” Prime Minister #TariqueRahman appears, since taking office, to be increasingly comfortable with “business as usual,” with his government’s latest moves indicating a clear preference for a culture of non-accountability. Two recent developments by the BNP Govt are particularly illustrative. First, the draft National Human Rights Commission Act 2026 points toward the creation of a toothless institution, effectively making the human rights watchdog dependent on the government and law enforcement agencies when dealing with allegations against those very agencies. Under the draft law, the NHRC would be unable to directly investigate allegations of human rights violations. Instead, it would have to rely on reports from the government or the heads of law enforcement agencies while handling accusations against members of those agencies. The proposed law also makes the appointment of NHRC commissioners entirely dependent on the wishes of the government of the day. The appointment committee would include the Speaker, the Law Minister, the Home Minister, a ruling party lawmaker, and the Cabinet Secretary. In effect, the draft law places the commission under full bureaucratic and executive control, reducing it to little more than a figurehead institution. This stands in direct contradiction to BNP’s own 31-point outline for structural reform, Point 14 of which explicitly states that “appointments to the Human Rights Commission will be made based on stringent and well-defined criteria, over and above any political consideration.” See:
 thedailystar.net/news/bangla… Second, the #BNP has completely backtracked on its own pledge to separate the #judiciary from the executive. This became evident when, on May 19, 2026, the government dissolved the Supreme Court Secretariat, removed the 15 lower court judges assigned to run it, and attached them to the Law Ministry. As the highest court of the land, with constitutional oversight over the lower and subordinate courts across the country, a functioning Supreme Court Secretariat is one of the prerequisites for an independent judiciary. This move is not only deeply concerning for Bangladesh’s justice sector, but also directly contradicts the BNP’s own earlier position. In its 31-point outline for structural reform, the BNP pledged the establishment of a “separate secretariat for the judiciary…to function under the Supreme Court.” See:
 thedailystar.net/opinion/edi… So why is the Prime Minister and his government backtracking on their own reform pledges? The simplest answer is the desire to continue abusing state institutions against political rivals. Take the ongoing persecution of the BNP’s principal political opponent, the #AwamiLeague, for example. Thousands of AL activists and supporters are currently detained, many for more than a year, in dubious criminal cases, often without credible evidence linking them to the alleged crimes. Bail is repeatedly denied, allegedly on political direction, by judges and magistrates. Could such abuses continue under a genuinely independent judiciary? Unlikely. Or consider the disproportionate number of political prisoners dying in #custody, often amid allegations by families of #torture and denial of proper medical treatment. Would a truly independent human rights commission investigate such custodial deaths? Almost certainly. And therein, tragically, lies the principal motivation for Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s apparent preference for a compliant and subservient judiciary and a toothless human rights commission. …. #BangladeshCrisis @meeganguly @PearsonElaine @job71org @ESandersFCDO @AgnesCallamard @amnestysasia @hrw @BonaveroIHR @IBAHRI @FortifyRights @forum_asia @HRF @volker_turk @UNHumanRights @SRjudgeslawyers @fidh_en @StateDRL @UN_HRC @justiceinfonet @Kennedy_HRC @CIVICUSalliance @EURightsAgency @fidh_en @humanrights

The Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE) officially writes to PM #TariqueRahman expressing deep concern regarding the reported incidents of cancellation and obstruction of lawyers’ nominations and participation in several district bar #elections in #Bangladesh. The letter, signed by CCBE President Roman Zavrsek noted that between February and April 2026, numerous Bangladesh #AwamiLeague-aligned lawyers and independent candidates were obstructed from participating, prevented from submitting nomination papers, and, in some cases, subjected to physical harassment in several bar association elections in Bangladesh. They further noted that in certain cases, nomination papers were officially rejected on the grounds of being “collaborators of fascists.” Additionally, it was reported that the police intervened, pressuring some candidates to withdraw or denying participation by labelling them as associates of the previous government. The CCBE drew the Bangladesh PM’s attention to the “United Nations Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers”, in particular Principles 16, 17, and 18 on guarantees for the functioning and security of lawyers, and Principle 23 on freedom of expression and association. The CCBE also raised the PM’s attention to the newly adopted “Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of the Profession of Lawyer” and called for its signature and rapid ratification by Bangladesh once open for accession. The CCBE, through the Bangladesh PM, urged the authorities in Bangladesh to ensure that bar association elections are conducted in a manner that guarantees the equal participation of all lawyers, without discrimination. They also called upon the cauthorities to investigate electoral irregularities, obstruction, harassment, or violence in all concerned bar associations. The CCBE also highlighted the security situation of many lawyers in Bangladesh. It reminded the Bangladesh PM that all lawyers should be able to carry out their professional duties without fear of reprisal, hindrance, intimidation, or harassment, in order to preserve the independence and integrity of the administration of justice and the rule of law. … CCBE represents the Bars and Law Societies of 46 countries and, through them, more than 1 million European lawyers. It places great emphasis on respect for human rights and the rule of law and follows with particular concern the situation of lawyers at risk around the world. See: ccbe.eu #BangladeshCrisis @IBAnews @IBAHRI @SRjudgeslawyers @barandbench @JusticeMakersBF @justiceinfonet @Tkbaul @TheDavidBergman @DoughtyStIntl @kingsleynapley @CCBEinfo @trahmanbnp @tariquebd78 @bdbnp78