Tarique Rahman acquitted

BNP's senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman has been acquitted in a money laundering case.

Court CorrespondentCourt correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 17 Nov 2013, 06:30 AM
Updated : 21 July 2016, 02:42 PM

But his close business associate Giasuddin-Al-Mamun has been sentenced to seven years in prison and fined Tk 400 million for complicity in the money laundering case.

Md Motahar Hossain of the Special Judges' Court-3 pronounced the verdict on Sunday.

BNP's senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman was not present as he has been living in London since 2008 after securing a bail from the Supreme Court.

Khaleda's younger son, Arafat Rahman Coco, was also charged with money laundering.

He has already been handed down a six-year imprisonment in the case after a trial in absentia.

Mamun was brought to the court room from the prison around 9.30am amid tight security.

bdnews24.com's Prokash Biswas reported from the courtroom that Mamun, wearing an off-white cotton shirt was sitting with his eyes closed.

But Mamun refused to comment after the verdict was given.

His defence counsel said though Tarique got justice but Mamun did not.

But he hoped Mamun would be released soon as he's been in jail for almost seven years now.

Plaintiff lawyers, however, refused to comment.

Chief Counsel of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Anisul Haque told reporters, "We are certainly not satisfied with the verdict. I won't say anything else before reading the full verdict."

Defence counsel started celebrating in the courtroom soon after the verdict was given.

That was followed by a pro-BNP lawyers' procession in the court premises.

The Judge started to read the verdict just before 12pm.

At first the verdict for Giasuddin-Al-Mamun was read out.

Then the Judge acquitted Tarique Rahman and went to his private chamber immediately.

State counsels were clearly unhappy with the verdict. "We don't accept this verdict," one of them was heard saying.

Following the verdict, senior defence lawyer Khandaker Mahabub Hossain told reporters, "The false allegations against Tarique Rahman ends with this verdict. It proves that Tarique was not involved in corruption and did not launder money."
The trial of Tarique and Mamun had begun on July 6, 2010, after the ACC filed a charge-sheet against them at the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court.
The ACC had lodged the case with the Dhaka Cantonment Police Station on Oct 26, 2009, accusing them of siphoning off Tk 204.1 million to Singapore between 2003 and 2007.
On Aug 8 last year, the court indicted Tarique and Mamun under the Money Laundering Act 2002, issuing an arrest warrant against Tarique.
According to the case details, Mamun took Tk 204.1 million as bribes from Khadiza Islam, Director of Nirman Construction Ltd, promising the contract of building an 80MW power plant at Tongi.
Mamun allegedly deposited the money in the Capital Street Branch of Singapore’s Citibank, from where Tarique withdrew Tk 30.78 million.
A Dhaka court in May this year had ordered Tarique’s arrest with Interpol help.
Several cases were lodged and Tarique was arrested on Mar 7, 2007, during the state of emergency.
In September next year, after securing a bail from the Supreme Court, Tarique went to the UK citing medical reasons.
He has been in London ever since, even attending some BNP events in the city in recent weeks.