In a relief for ex-Prime Minister Khaleda Zia’s “fugitive” eldest son, a Bangladeshi court on Sunday acquitted him of money laundering amid heightened political tensions in the country ahead of general elections.
“He (Tarique Rahman) has been acquitted of the money laundering charge,” pronounced Judge Mohammad Motahar Hossain of the Special Judge Court-3 of Dhaka at the packed courtroom after trying him in absentia.
The judge said Rahman, 45, was acquitted as he declared the disputed amount of USD 50,000 in his wealth statement earlier. The court, however, sentenced to seven years of imprisonment Rahman’s friend and business partner Giasuddin Al Mamun and fined him Taka 40 crore in the same case as charges of taking bribes and siphoning off the money were proved.
Rahman, the Senior Vice Chairperson of Bangladesh Nationalist Party, was defended by state-appointed counsels under law for fugitive accused. The duo was accused of siphoning off Taka 20.41 crore to Singapore between 2003 and 2007 while the BNP-led four-party righting alliance Government was in power while they were charged under the Money laundering Act and indicted in August last year after pre-trial hearings.
Pro-BNP lawyers at the court complex celebrated the judgement, staging a brief “victory march” around the court complex. The main opposition party earlier feared that Rahman could be convicted in a “false case” describing him a victim of political vengeance. lawyers of the ruling Awami league accused the Government prosecutors of mishandling the case in a deliberate manner to ensure Rahman’s acquittal in exchange of bribes and chased some of them out of the court complex, prompting police to whisk them to safety.
The prosecution lawyers were not immediately available for comments if they planned to challenge before the High Court the verdict, the first judgement out of the 16 graft and criminal cases against Rahman, who is in london since 2008 and is reportedly studying law alongside carrying out political activities from Britain.
According to one of the pending charges, he allegedly masterminded a fatal grenade attack in 2004 on a rally of the then opposition rally killing 24 people while incumbent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina narrowly escaped it but with permanent hearing impairment.
Bangladesh earlier this month formally asked london to return Rahmanto bring him to justice but it is unclear if he sought an asylumin UK as the British authorities earlier declined to make any publicstatement on the issue calling it a “personal matter of an individual”.
The Anti-Corruption Commission brought the money laundering chargeduring the past military-backed interim government which spearheadeda massive anti-graft campaign under the State of Emergency from 2006to 2008 when Rahman was jailed.
He was allowed to take an overseas tour for medical treatment undera Supreme Court order but he preferred to stay back in london asthe subsequent general election installed the ruling Awami league to power.
Tight security was enforced around the court complex in Old Dhakawhere authorities deployed extra contingents of elite anti-crimeRapid Action Battalion (RAB) forces as the judgement coincided with the ongoing political violence over electoral system.
At least 27 people were killed as the BNP with fundamentalist Jamaat-e-islamibeing its major partner staged violent street protests in the past few days.
The verdict came amidst political instability in the country as two main parties are at loggerheads over the form of interim government to oversee the general elections to be held by January 25.
The ruling Awami league is insisting on going ahead with an “all-party” interim government while the BNP-led opposition alliance is demanding a “non-party” poll government by amending the Constitution.