ICT Senior Prosecutor Zead-AI-Malum passes away

Advocate Zead-AI-Malum, who served as senior prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), breathed his last at Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Saturday night.

His life support was removed at 12:35am (Sunday), ICT Senior Consultant Mehedi Masum confirmed.

On May 25, the 67-year-old Supreme Court lawyer was admitted to Bangladesh Specialized Hospital in the capital after suffering a stroke, reports UNB.

Later, Zead-AI-Malum, also a freedom fighter, was put on life support as his condition worsened. Next, he was shifted to CMH in June.

His first namaz-e-janaza was held at ICT’s premises on Sunday afternoon.

Chief Justice of Bangladesh Syed Mahmud Hossain and Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anisul Huq expressed deep grief over the death of the senior prosecutor.

In a message of condolence, the law minister said Malum was an efficient and experienced prosecutor, an official release said.

"He was a very devoted, affable and clean-hearted person. Malum played a special role in many important cases at the International Crimes Tribunal and his death left a big void at this tribunal," Anisul Huq said.

The law minister prayed for eternal peace of the departed soul and conveyed his sympathy to the members of the bereaved family.

Meanwhile, Law and Justice Division Secretary Md Golam Sarwar also mourned the death of Zead-al Malum.

In March 2010, Zead-AI-Malum was appointed prosecutor of the ICT, a domestic tribunal with the power to adjudicate international crimes.

He was instrumental in the trial of several war criminals, including BNP leader Salauddin Quader Chowdhury; Jamaat-e-Islami leaders Ghulam Azam, Matiur Rahman Nizami, and Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid.

Zead-al-Malum was born in 1954 in Tangail and completed his institutional education in 1978 from the University of Dhaka.