Staff Correspondent

A Dhaka court has issued an arrest warrant against Tofail Ahmed, an Awami League heavyweight and a pioneering figure in the 1969 Mass Uprising and 1971 Liberation War, in a two-decade-old corruption case.

Shamima Afroz of the Dhaka Divisional Special Judges’ Court issued the order on Apr 19 as the former commerce minister was considered to be absconding.

During a hearing on the framing of charges on Tuesday, Tofail’s counsel, Khaer Uddin Shikder, moved a petition informing the court of the former minister's illness.

He told the court that his client can no longer recognise anyone, has lost his memory, and remains physically unfit to participate in legal proceedings.

The lawyer sought a psychiatric evaluation of Tofail’s mental state and requested a deferral of the charge-framing hearing.

The court, however, turned down the plea and set Thursday for the next hearing on the matter.

The other defendants in the case are Md Anwarul Islam and Mosharraf Hossain.

Of the three, Mosharraf is currently out on bail and has been attending court.

Case Background

The case was filed in 2002 by Kazi Shamsul Islam, an inspector of the then Bureau of Anti-Corruption, over allegations of misappropriating Tk 12.5 million.

According to the case statement, Tofail abused his power to transfer and withdraw the funds through associates to conceal illegally obtained money.

It alleges that Anwarul, chief accountant of Madonna Advertising Limited, and Mosharraf of Bhola acted in collusion, transferring the money from Sonali Bank’s Motijheel Corporate Branch at different times before it was withdrawn.

After an investigation, a chargesheet was submitted against the three suspects.

Proceedings in the case had remained suspended for years following a High Court order after the Awami League returned to power.

Bench assistant Ariful Islam said the trial has resumed after the stay order was lifted.

He noted that arrest warrants were issued on Apr 19 as two of the people involved in the case remained absconding, with the charge hearing scheduled for that day.

On Tuesday, the defence submitted that Tofail has long been unwell and is undergoing treatment in intensive care at Square Hospital in Dhaka, making it impossible for him to appear in court.

The petition added that he cannot recognise people, has no memory and is physically incapable of standing trial due to mental decline.

The Anti-Corruption Commission, however, opposed the plea, arguing that such applications are not admissible while the accused remains absconding and must be filed in person, Ariful said.

Health Condition

The 82-year-old politician has been battling age-related complications for several years and was hospitalised in late September last year, sparking rumours of his death at the time.

On Sept 28, 2025, Square Hospital’s CEO Yousuf Siddique told bdnews24.com that Tofail had been admitted for four days and was in critical condition in the coronary care unit (CCU).

Family members of the 60s star student politician said he has been using a wheelchair for a few years.

A stroke left one side of his body paralysed, and with his left arm and leg becoming numb, he has been unable to move independently.

Political Career

Born on Oct 22, 1943, in Bhola’s Koralia village in the Sadar Upazila, Tofail studied at Brajamohan College in Barishal before completing his undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in soil science at Dhaka University.

A leading figure in student politics in the 1960s, he served as vice-president of the Dhaka University Central Students Union during the turbulent 1968-69 period and convened the All-Party Student Action Committee.

He played a key role in the 1969 Mass Uprising.

Following the movement, the Pakistani regime was forced to release Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and all other accused in the Agartala Conspiracy Case.

At a rally at the Racecourse Maidan, now Suhrawardy Udyan, on Feb 23 that year, Sheikh Mujib was conferred the title “Bangabandhu”, which was announced by Tofail.

A nine-time member of parliament, Tofail was elected on an Awami League ticket in 1970 and served as one of the four regional chiefs of the Mujib Bahini during the 1971 Liberation War.

Most recently, he represented the Bhola-1 constituency.

Having served as the Awami League’s organisational secretary for a long time and later as a member of the Presidium, he is currently a member of the party’s Advisory Council.

In 1972, the then prime minister Sheikh Mujib appointed him as his political secretary with the rank of a state minister.

When the Awami League returned to power in 1996, Sheikh Hasina appointed him as the minister for industries and commerce, and he later served as the commerce minister from 2014 to 2019.