The High Court on Wednesday acquitted BNP acting Chairman Tarique Rahman and his wife Zubaida Rahman of a corruption case filed on charge of amassing assets through illegal means and concealing information in their wealth statements.
The High Court also annulled the verdict of the special court that had earlier convicted the couple and sentenced different terms of jail in the case.
The HC bench of Justice Md Khasruzzaman delivered its judgment after hearing an appeal petition filed by Zubaida challenging the special court judgment.
Since the High Court has cancelled the special court's verdict, non-appellant accused Tarique Rahman will also get the benefit of the acquittal order, said lawyer SM Shahjahan who appeared in the court proceedings representing Zubaida Rahman.
Lawyers Kayser Kamal, Zakir Hossain Bhuiyan, Maksud Ullah and others appeared for Zubaida, while lawyer Asif Hassan stood for the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
Earlier on May 14 this year, the High Court bench admitted Zubaida's appeal petition and granted her bail in the case until disposal of the appeal matter.
The HC bench concluded the hearing on May 26 and fixed May 28 for delivering its judgment.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the case on September 26, 2007 with Kafrul Police Station against Tarique, his wife Zubaida and her mother Syeda Iqbal Mand Banu on charge of amassing assets worth Tk48.2 million through illegal means and concealing the information of Tk21.6 million in their wealth statements.
Following the case, a Dhaka Court on August 2, 2023 sentenced BNP acting Chairman Tarique Rahman to nine years' rigorous imprisonment and his wife Zubaida Rahman to three years' jail.
Judge of the Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge's Court, Md Adaduzzaman, delivered the verdict after concluding the trial process.
The court also issued arrest warrants against the couple showing them as absconding in the eye of the law. It at the same time ordered to confiscate Tarique Rahman's assets of Tk27.49 million in favour of the state.
The court sentenced Tarique Rahman nine years' rigorous imprisonment under two sections of the ACC Act 2004.
The court fined Tarique Rahman Tk30 million, in default of which he will have to suffer three more months in jail.
It sentenced Zubaida Rahman three years' imprisonment in the case under one section of the law and fined her Tk3.5 million, in default of which she will have to serve one month more in jail.
The trial court did not allow any counsel for representing Tarique Rahman and Zubaida Rahman in the trial proceedings.
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