Tarique Rahman, Zubaida Rahman acquitted in ACC case
BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman and his wife, Zubaida Rahman, have been acquitted in a case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) over alleged accumulation of wealth beyond known sources of income.
The bench of Justice Md Khasruzzaman handed down the verdict on Wednesday, granting Zubaida Rahman's appeal against her conviction in the case. The hearing on Zubaida Rahman's appeal concluded on 26 May, with the court setting 28 May for the verdict.
Senior lawyers SM Shahjahan, Kaiser Kamal, and Zakir Hossain Bhuiyan represented the petitioner in court, while Asif Hasan appeared on behalf of the ACC.
Following the verdict, ACC lawyer Asif Hasan told Prothom Alo that the High Court granted the appeal of Zubaida Rahman and overturned the trial court’s verdict. Since the allegations were not proven, the verdict will be applicable for Tarique Rahman too, resulting in his acquittal as well.
The ACC filed the case on 26 September, 2007, against three individuals, including Tarique Rahman and Zubaida Rahman, with Kafrul Police Station in the capital. They were accused of concealing information about assets and amassing wealth beyond known sources of income. The chargesheet was submitted in 2008.
On 2 August 2023, the Dhaka metropolitan senior special judge’s court sentenced Tarique Rahman to nine years in prison (six years and three years to run concurrently), and Zubaida Rahman to three years in prison along with a financial penalty.
Later, on 4 November 2023, the home ministry’s security services division issued a notification suspending Zubaida Rahman’s sentence for one year. According to the notification, the decision was made in response to her application and upon the opinion of the law ministry.
Zubaida Rahman returned to Bangladesh from the UK on 6 May this year with BNP chairperson and former prime minister Khaleda Zia. She went to London with Tarique Rahman on 11 September, 2008.
Upon her return, she applied to the High Court for excusing a 587-day delay to file an appeal. The court granted it on 13 May. The next day, she filed the appeal and sought bail. The court accepted her appeal and granted bail on 14 May.