Graft case: 9-year sentence for Tarique, 3-year for Zubaida

A Dhaka court has sentenced BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman to nine years in jail and his wife Zubaida Rahman to three years in a case filed over illegally amassing wealth and concealing property information.

Besides, the court also ordered the seizure of Tk2.74 crore property owned by Tarique and Zubaida, both currently absconding.  

Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Md Asaduzzaman announced the verdict yesterday afternoon in their absence, Public Prosecutor Mosharraf Hossen Kajol confirmed to The Business Standard.

The court has issued new arrest warrants against them along with the sentence.

With his latest conviction, Tarique has been sentenced for the fifth time while Zobaida for the first time.

According to the verdict, Tarique has also been fined Tk3 crore. Failure to pay the fine will result in a three-month extension of his imprisonment.

Furthermore, Zobaida Rahman has been fined Tk35 lakh, non-payment of which will result in a one-month extension of her jail sentence.

The judgement will come into effect after they surrender to a court or are arrested.

Lawyers representing the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) said the court issued an order for the cantonment police to seize Tarique's undisclosed assets, with the proceeds benefiting the state.

The ACC had filed the corruption case against the couple, along with Zubaida's mother Iqbal Mand Banu, with the Kafrul police station on 26 September 2007 for amassing assets worth Tk4.82 crore through illegal means and concealing the information of Tk2.16 crore in their wealth statements. Banu's name was later dropped from the case following her death.

The ACC submitted a charge sheet in the case in 2008.

Later on 1 November 2022, the court took the charges against Tarique and Zubaida into cognizance and issued arrest warrants against them. The court also ordered publishing a notice in a newspaper, asking them to appear before the court on 19 January.

On 13 April this year, the court framed charges against Tarique and Zubaida and ordered a trial in the case.

The trial begin on 21 May 2023 with the statement of ACC Deputy Director Zahirul Huda. On 25 May, Emran Ali Shikder of Kawkhali in Pirojpur and Syed Azad Iqbal of Lohagara in Narail testified.

On 26 June, the High Court ordered the judicial court to dispose of the case as soon as possible.

Pro-BNP lawyers allege that the proceedings in this case unfolded remarkably swiftly, including testimonies held under cover of night. They further assert that during the testimony, Awami League-affiliated lawyers purposely obstructed their presence in the courtroom.

Advocate Abdullah Abu, chief public prosecutor at the Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court, refuted the allegations raised by pro-BNP lawyers. He emphasised that the court arrived at its verdict based on the case's evidence and in adherence to established legal procedures.

Public Prosecutor Mosharraf Hossain Kajol said the ACC has investigated the case very impartially.

14 years in High Court

In 2008, Zubaida Rahman sought cancellation of the case in the High Court. Responding to her plea, the High Court suspended proceedings that year. The Appellate Division later upheld the High Court's decision.

However, on 12 April 2017, after the final hearing, the High Court rejected Zubaida's case dismissal plea and mandated her appearance in the judicial court within eight weeks.

Zubaida contested the High Court's dismissal, appealing for leave to appeal the same year. On 13 April 2022, a four-member appellate bench led by Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique dismissed the appeal, affirming the High Court's ruling.

Consequently, the legal barriers were lifted, reviving Zubaida's case in the lower court. Notably, the High Court acquitted Tarique's mother-in-law, Iqbal Mand Banu, in relation to the case.

Tarique convicted in four more cases

In 2007, Tarique Rahman started staying in London for treatment during the caretaker rule, known as the 1/11 government. He has not returned to the country in the last 16 years. Verdicts in four cases were given against him in the meantime.

In 2016, Tarique Rahman received a 7-year prison term and a fine of Tk20 crore for a money laundering case, while in 2018, he was sentenced to 10 years in the Zia Orphanage Trust case, with a fine of Tk2.10 crore.

During the tenure of the four-party coalition government, on 21 August 2004, a grenade attack targeted an Awami League rally on Bangabandhu Avenue. The incident led to two cases under the Explosives and Murder Act.

On 10 October 2018, Tarique Rahman was handed a life sentence in these cases by Dhaka's Speedy Trial Court-1.

 A defamation case was filed in a Narail court on 4 February 2021 against him for making "derogatory remarks" about Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in a rally organised by the UK BNP on 16 December 2014.

The court gave a verdict of two-year imprisonment and a Tk10,000 fine against Tarique. Defaulting on payment would lead to an additional six-month prison term, the court directed.