A Dhaka court has acquitted BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman and seven others in a Tk 100 million extortion case, reports UNB.
Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Shannullah accepted the police's final report and cleared the accused of all charges after a hearing on Wednesday.
The acquitted individuals are Tarique's friend Giasuddin Al Mamun, Obaidullah Khandakar, Kamruzzaman, Engineer Mahbubul Alam, Engineer AKM Shoaeb Bashuri (alias Hablul), Azizul Karim Tariq, and Monijur Rahman (alias Manik).
On November 5, the investigation officer of the case, Inspector Md Sazzad Hossain of the Detective Branch of Police's Dhaka Kotwali team, submitted the final report, stating that no evidence was found against them.
The hearing on Wednesday revealed that the original complaint was filed under undue pressure.
Plaintiff Khairul Bashar initially petitioned for a correction in the extortion case on June 30, 2007, but withdrew on May 7, 2009, via affidavit.
Khairul claimed influential circles pressured him to lodge the complaint and later confirmed he had no complaints against the accused and did not wish to pursue legal action. Further investigation supported Bashar's statements.
He confessed that the affidavit's claims were true: he had been coerced due to political and administrative pressure and admitted not knowing Giasuddin Al Mamun or the others.
The report also said no extortion had occurred and affirmed that the accused were well-established in their fields. It noted that the case aimed to damage Tarique Rahman's political image.
Another court in Dhaka on Thursday exempted BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman from a case filed by the National Board of Revenue (NBR) over alleged tax evasion.
Judge Rezaul Karim of Dhaka Special Judge Court-10 passed the order today as it found the allegations brought against the BNP leader "imaginary and fabricated".
