Former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, one of the key accused in a case filed on charges of crimes against humanity committed during the July uprising, became an approver on Thursday.

In this context, public discussion has turned to what an approver or state witness is, how an accused becomes one, and under what legal conditions.

An approver is a person who has participated in a crime, admits to his involvement, and provides the court with a complete and truthful account of the incident, including naming other individuals involved. The court may then choose to pardon this person.

In his book on commentary on the Code of Criminal Procedure, noted legal expert Gazi Shamsur Rahman writes, “In serious criminal cases, a magistrate may pardon someone who was directly involved in the crime…. Such a person is required to make a full and honest disclosure of everything they know about the offence, including who else was involved.”

Speaking about this, Supreme Court lawyer and Supreme Court Bar Association General Secretary Md. Ruhul Quddus Kazal, told Prothom Alo, an approver could be a person, who himself was involved with the crime, he must first admit his guilt to the court and disclose complete information about all those involved.

An approver is kept in custody until the trial concludes, he added.