Court issues conviction warrant for Tarique Rahman

A court here on Monday issued a conviction warrant for BNP Senior Vice-chairman Tarique Rahman in a money laundering case.

Judge of the Special Judge Court-3 Abu Ahmed Jamadar passed the order after receiving the full High Court verdict that sentenced Tarique Rahman to seven years’ imprisonment and fined Tk 20 crore in the case.

The court asked the officer-in-charge of Cantonment Police Station to execute the order for sending the conviction warrant to the cantonment residence of Tarique Rahman, reports news agency UNB.

The court received the full text of the HC verdict on 26 October.

On 21 July, the High Court sentenced BNP Senior Vice-chairman Tarique Rahman to seven years’ imprisonment and fined him Tk 20 crore scrapping his acquittal in a money laundering case.

It also asked the lower court to issue a warrant for the arrest of Tarique who is now in London.

The bench also upheld the trial court verdict that had sentenced Tarique’s friend and business partner Giasuddin Al Mamun to seven years’ imprisonment in the same case. However, it commuted his fine of Tk 40 crore to Tk 20 crore

In 2009, the anti-graft watchdog filed the case against Tarique, elder son of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, and Giasuddin Al Mamun for illegally sending Tk 20.41 crore to Singapore between 2003 and 2007.

On 17 November 2013, a Dhaka court acquitted Tarique and sentenced Mamun to seven years in jail and fined him Tk 40 crore.

On 5 December that year, the ACC appealed to the HC challenging Tarique’s acquittal in the politically sensitive case.

Following the appeal, the HC on 19 January 2014, asked the lower court to send the case records to it and ordered Tarique to surrender before the trial court.