Lawyer faces questioning for FB advertisement ‘featuring’ PM’s daughter Zaima

The suspect argues he was “not involved” in the incident and calls the allegations “baseless”

A Dhaka court has granted police permission to question lawyer Shafiq Nazrul in custody for allegedly using a photo of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's daughter Zaima Rahman in an advertisement linked to the Bangladesh Bar Council exams.

Metropolitan Magistrate Ariful Islam on Tuesday ordered the four-day remand after the investigating officer (IO) from Sher-E-Bangla Nagar Police pleaded for seven days.

Nazrul faces allegations of cybersecurity breach and online fraudulence, said Prosecution Police Sub-Inspector (SI) Rafiqul Islam.

According to the case dossier, Nazrul had been running advertisements for Bar Council test “coaching” on a Facebook page.

He charged money by promising candidates he would help them pass the tests.

He demanded Tk 800,000 from a candidate named Khurshid Alam, who gave him half the money in phases. But after Alam failed the exams held on Jun 12, he sued Nazrul.

The IO told the court that Nazrul also used the photo of the attorney general’s daughter.

However, the suspect argued he was “not involved” in the incident and described the case as “baseless”.

He also claimed not to have taken any money in exchange for the suggestions he had given for the tests, saying his tips came in “100 percent handy”.