Tarique verdict proves AL wants to eliminate oppositions: Mirza Fakhrul

The verdict against BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman and his wife Zubaida Rahman proves that the Awami League wants to eliminate all the opposition in the country, said BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Wednesday.

He said the verdict was given at the behest of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to derail the ongoing one-point movement.

At a press conference held at the political office of the BNP chairperson in Gulshan, Mirza Fakhrul said this is just another example of the AL government's politicisation of the judiciary.

"The AL government aims to suppress opposition, with their leader striving to maintain an unchallenged position. This drive has led to an attempt to control legal systems, courts, and administration, evident in the latest verdict. This pattern appears as a consistent plot to undermine the nation's democratic principles," he said.

He further said as their current movement rapidly gained momentum nationwide, the government's verdict seemed like a deliberate ploy to sow confusion among the public.

The BNP leader said, "Efforts to quell the ongoing BNP movement will prove futile. We vehemently denounce and object to this verdict."

He urged the government to withdraw the sentences issued in what he deemed "baseless" accusations.

Highlighting the apparent expedited handling of this case compared to the multitude of pending ones, Fakhrul alleged, "The astonishing speed of these proceedings hints at a verdict influenced by Sheikh Hasina's directives."

He said, "Back in 2007, the so-called 'one eleven' emergency government, in a calculated scheme to remove the Zia family from politics, unjustly lodged baseless charges against Tarique Rahman and his wife. That emergency government was a result of the Awami League's movement.

"In the same era, 15 corruption and extortion cases were filed against Sheikh Hasina. But after seizing power through conspiracy, she withdrew all the cases by using her power as the prime minister."

BNP standing committee members, including Mirza Abbas, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Abdul Moyeen Khan, Nazrul Islam Khan, and Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, attended the press conference.

Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court yesterday convicted and sentenced Tarique Rahman to nine-year imprisonment and his wife Zubaida Rahman to three-year jail in a case filed for amassing illegal wealth of Tk4.81 crore and concealing information about the wealth.