Sylhet: A Sylhet tribunal on Monday deferred the charge framing in the former Finance Minister SAMS Kibria murder case until 18 August.

Judge of Sylhet Speedy Trial Tribunal Makbul Ahsan passed the order on Monday morning.

With this, charge framing in the sensational case has been deferred for the sixth time.

Sylhet City Corporation’s suspended mayor Ariful Haq was not present in the court on Monday while former state minister for home Lutfozzaman Babar and other accused were present.

Earlier, the Kibria murder case had been transferred to the Speedy Trial Tribunal from Habiganj Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court on 11 June for its quick disposal.

Five people, including Kibria, were killed and 70 others injured in a grenade attack on a public meeting of local Awami League at Baidder Bazar in Sadar upazila on 27 January 2005.

Awami League leader Abdul Mazid Khan filed two cases–one for murder and another under the Explosives Substances Act–with the Habiganj Police Station the following day.

Assistant Superintendent of CID Munshi Atique submitted a charge sheet against 10 BNP leaders and activists on 19 March 2005.

On 20 June 2011, CID Senior Assistant Superintendent Rafiqul Islam submitted a supplementary charge sheet incorporating the names of 14 more people, including former state minister for home Lutfozzaman Babar and Mufti Hannan, following a no-confidence petition filed by the plaintiff.

Upon an appeal by the complainant, the High Court on 5 May 2006 stayed the proceedings of the cases. Following another appeal by the complainant, the tribunal on 14 May 2006 ordered further investigation into the cases.

After further probe, Rafiqul submitted the first supplementary charge-sheet.

However, Asma Kibria, wife of the slain minister, filed a petition with a local court expressing no-confidence in the investigation. The court then forwarded the case documents along with the petition to the tribunal concerned.

Later, the tribunal on 5 January 2012 ordered the CID to carry out further probe into the killing.