Judgment in graft case against Tarique, Zubaida today

A Dhaka court is scheduled to pronounce its judgement today in a graft case filed against BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman and his wife Zubaida Rahman.

Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Md Asaduzzaman set August 2 as the placing of legal arguments concluded in the case on July 27.

ACC Public Prosecutor Mosharraf Hossain Kajol told the Daily Samakal, "There is no political motive here. Each citizen is equal in the eye of the law. Fugitive Tarique Rahman was brought under the law as a citizen of this country. We were able to prove all the charges beyond a reasonable doubt."

He also sought the highest punishment for the two accused.

On July 24, the court fixed July 27 for placing legal arguments as testimonies ended in the case on that day. A total of 43 witnesses out of 56 testified in the case.

On April 13, 2013, the court framed charges against the two fugitives accused as it scrapped a petition to allow them to appoint lawyers to defend them in absentia.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on September 26, 2007, filed the case against Tarique Rahman, his wife Zubaida Rahman and mother-in-law Iqbal-Mand Banu for amassing an illegal wealth of Tk 4.81 crore and concealing information about the asset.

The anti-graft body filed the charge sheet in 2008. Zubaida in 2008 filed a petition with the High Court, pleading to quash the proceedings of the case. The High Court in the same year stayed the proceedings of the case, which was later upheld by the Appellate Division.

The High Court after holding the final hearing on the matter, cancelled the plea of Zubaida on April 12, 2017. It had also asked her to appear before the trial court concerned within eight weeks. Zubaida later filed a leave to appeal petition against the High Court order.

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on April 13, 2022, scrapped Zubaida's leave to appeal petition and upheld the High Court order.

On November 1, 2022, the lower court concerned issued arrest warrants against the couple after accepting the charges pressed against them. On February 6, 2023, the court issued a gazette asking the couple to appear before the court.

/KN/