Tarique, Zubaida now free of all convictions as HC acquits both in graft case

The High Court yesterday scrapped the convictions of BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman and his wife Zubaida Rahman in a corruption case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) during the 2007 caretaker government, involving charges of amassing wealth beyond known sources of income and concealing information about assets.

With this, no other convictions currently remain against either Tarique or Zubaida, according to senior advocate SM Shahjahan.

Yesterday, a High Court bench of Justice Md Khasruzzaman pronounced the judgment, allowing Dr Zubaida Rahman's appeal against her jail sentence in the case.

"The appeal is allowed and setting aside the judgment of the trial court," the judgment said.

As per media reports, the ACC on 26 September in 2007, accused Tarique Rahman, Zubaida Rahman, and Zubaida's mother of amassing assets worth Tk4.82 crore through illegal means and concealing information about Tk2.16 crore in their wealth statements.

On 2 August, 2023, Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Md Asaduzzaman sentenced Tarique Rahman to nine years and Zubaida Rahman to three years in prison in the case.

However, last year, the Ministry of Home Affairs suspended Zubaida's sentence for one year on 22 September on condition that she would surrender and file an appeal. Later, Zubaida returned to Bangladesh on 6 May after 17 years abroad.

She was granted bail on 14 May by the High Court as she filed an appeal against her conviction and three-year jail sentence in the case. 

Speaking to reporters after the ruling yesterday, senior lawyer SM Shahjahan said, "Tarique Rahman had not appealed in this particular case. However, the Supreme Court had previously acquitted him in the 21 August grenade attack case and another money laundering case. 

"In line with the precedents set by those rulings, the court today declared Tarique and Zubaida Rahman fully acquitted in this case as well."

"The trial and verdict of the lower court in this case were motivated. The High Court has nullified the entire verdict of the lower court, effectively clearing both Tarique and Zubaida of all charges," he added. 

Shahjahan further said there are now no other pending cases in which either Tarique Rahman or Zubaida Rahman have convictions, noting, "They have been acquitted in all cases."

Following the verdict, ACC lawyer Asif Hasan told reporters that the High Court overturned the trial court's judgment by accepting Zubaida Rahman's appeal. 

Since the charges were not proven, the same ruling applies to Tarique Rahman, and he will benefit from this verdict as well. In other words, both Tarique Rahman and Zubaida Rahman have been acquitted in the case, he added.

According to Tarique's lawyers, a total of 84 cases were filed against the BNP leader over the years. Of these, he was convicted by trial courts in five cases, including the 21 August grenade attack case, the Zia Orphanage Trust case, a money laundering case, a defamation case in Narail, and a case over amassing wealth beyond known sources of income.

However, since 5 August last year, he has been acquitted of all these convictions by higher courts. His lawyers further claimed that most of the remaining cases have also been dismissed.