Tarique gets 9, Zubaida 3 years jail in graft case
A court in Dhaka has sentenced BNP acting Chairman Tarique Rahman and his wife Zubaida Rahman to nine, and three years in jail respectively in a graft case.
Judge Md Asaduzzaman of Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court handed down the verdict on Wednesday.
The court also fined Tarique Rahman Tk 3 crore, and in default, he will have to serve three months more in jail and fined Zubaida Tk 35 lakh and in failure to pay, she will have to serve another month in prison.
Alongside, the court ordered to confiscate Tk 2.74 crore as undisclosed asset of Tarique and Zubaida in favor of the state.
Earlier on July 27, Judge Md Asaduzzaman of Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court fixed August 2 to deliver its verdict in the corruption case following the conclusion of the arguments.
On September 26 of 2007, the Anti-Corruption Commission filed the case against Tarique, Zubaida and his mother-in-law Iqbal Mand Banu for allegedly amassing illegal wealth of around Tk 4.81 crore and concealing information about the asset.
BSS adds: The court on April 13 of 2013 framed charges against the two fugitive accused as it scrapped a petition to allow them to appoint lawyers to defend them in absentia.
The anti-graft body filed the charge-sheet in 2008. Zubaida in 2008 filed a petition with the High Court, pleading to quash the proceedings of the case. The High Court in the same year stayed the proceedings of the case, which was later upheld by the Appellate Division.
The High Court after holding final hearing on the matter, cancelled the plea of Zubaida on April 12, 2017. It had also asked her to appear before the trial court concerned within eight weeks. Zubaida later filed a leave to appeal petition against the High Court order.
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on April 13, 2022, scrapped Zubaida's leave to appeal petition and upheld the High Court order.
On November 1, 2022, the lower court concerned issued arrest warrants against the couple after accepting the charges pressed against them. On February 6, 2023, the court issued a gazette asking the couple to appear before the court.
JA/SU
