Bangladesh in talks with UK to get BNP's Tarique extradited, Hasina says

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said they are trying to get the British government extradite BNP leader Tarique Rahman from London to face justice in Bangladesh.

Now heading the BNP from exile, Tarique is convicted of money laundering and corruption in two separate cases.

Tarique Rahman (File photo)

He is also being tried in many other cases, including one on charges of attempted assassination of Hasina.

After delivering the keynote at a programme in London’s Queen Elizabeth Centre on Tuesday, the prime minister took questions from journalists.

Asked whether her government took any initiative to bring Tarique back, she said the UK should have faced the question instead.

“The UK is a free country, anybody can take shelter and refuge…that’s true. The crime that the person committed …and already he is convicted,” Hasina said.

“And I don’t understand how UK enjoys keeping a convicted person,” the prime minister added.

“So it’s better you ask this question to the UK people."

The prime minister also said her government was “definitely eager” to take Tarique back.

“He should face the court,” she said.

“Well, we are talking to the British government about it and definitely one day we will take him back,” she added.

BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique, in London for a decade, is standing in for his mother Khaleda Zia who was jailed for five years for corruption on Feb 8.

He has also been sentenced to 10 years in prison in the same case. He had earlier got a prison term of seven years for laundering money.