Recording of testimony in Kibria murder case deferred

The Sylhet Speedy Trial Tribunal yesterday deferred till today the recording of witnesses' testimonies in former finance minister Shah AMS Kibria murder case as eight of the 14 accused did not appear before it.

Suspended Sylhet City Corporation mayor Ariful Haque Chowdhury did not appear as he is undergoing treatment under police custody in Dhaka, while the other seven, including former state minister for home Lutfozzaman Babar, appeared before different courts in separate cases.

Today was the third day of recording, and three out of 171 witnesses, including the complainant lawmaker and Awami League Habiganj district unit's general secretary Abdul Majid Khan, have testified so far.

The then opposition lawmaker and Awami League leader Kibria and four others, including his nephew Shah Manzur Huda and local AL leader Abdur Rahim, were killed in a grenade attack on a rally in Habiganj on January 27, 2005.

The case was probed three times and the investigators pressed charges thrice against 32 people, including Babar, while the charge framing was deferred for nine times.