A Dhaka court convicted BNP Acting Chairman Tariqueue Rahman 9 years imprisonment and his wife Dr. Jobaida Rahman to suffer jail for 3 years in a corruption case.
Besides, Tarique Rahman was fined Tk. 2 crore, 3 months imprisonment in default and jobaida was fined Tk. 35 lakh and 2 months imprisonment in default.
Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Asaduzzman’s court delivered the verdict on Wednesday (August 2).
According to the judgment, the illegally acquired property worth Tk. 2 crore 76 lakh 93 thousand 87 has been confiscated in favor of the state.
Section 26(2) of the Anti-Corruption Commission Act provides imprisonment for three years and Section 27(1) for 10 years. On July 27, the same court fixed August 2 as the date for the judgment after hearing arguments.
Previously, Tarique Rahman was convicted in 4 cases by different courts of the country. Although this is the fifth judgment of the case filed against him but this is the first verdict in the case against jobaida Rahman.
In 2007, during the One Eleven government, Tarique Rahman went out of the country for treatment on the executive orders of the government. After that, he did not return to the country for 16 long years. Currently he is staying in London. In the verdict he was declared as a fugitive.
Before reaching the judgment stage, the court accepted the testimony of 42 witnesses out of 56 witnesses of the charge sheet.
On April 13, the court ordered the trial to be started by forming a complaint against the accused Tarique and Jobaida Rahman.
On September 26, 2007, the ACC filed this case at the capital's Kafrul police station.
In the statement, allegations of undisclosed income and illegal assets of Tk. 4 crore 81 lakh have been made, but in the charge sheet of the case, Tarique Rahman has been accused of acquiring illegal wealth of Tk. 2 crore 23 lakh, concealing the information of Tk. 58 lakh of wealth and assisting Jobaida Rahman in acquiring illegal wealth.
Cases in which Tarique has been convicted in the past:
Money Laundering Case: On October 26, 2009, the ACC filed a case against Tarique Rahman and Ghiyas Uddin Al Mamun at the Cantonment Police Station of the capital on charges of laundering Tk. 20 crore 41 lakh 25 thousand 843.
On November 17, 2013, Judge Motahar Hossain in a verdict sentenced Tarique Rahman's friend Gias Uddin Mamun to 7 years by Dhaka Third Special Judge Court but acquitted Tarek Rahman.
On July 21, 2016, the ACC appealed against the verdict, and on July 21, 2016, the High Court overturned Tarique's acquittal and sentenced Tarique Rahman to 7 years in prison.
Zia Orphanage Trust Case: Tarique Rahman was convicted for the second time along with mother Khaleda Zia in the Zia Orphanage Trust case.
On February 8, 2018, the judge of the Fifth Special Judge Court of Dhaka Akhtaruzzaman announced the sentence of 10 years imprisonment to five people including Tarique Rahman and 5 years to Khaleda Zia.
In this case, Tk. 2 crore 10 lakh 71 thousand 671 was sent from abroad to help orphans was accused of misappropriation through corruption.
21 August Grenade Attack Case: On August 21, 2004, Tarique Rahman was convicted for the third time in the horrific grenade attack case in front of the Awami League party office on Bangabandhu Avenue in Dhaka.
On October 10, 2018, Tarique Rahman was sentenced to life imprisonment by Judge Shahed Noor Uddin of Dhaka's speedy trial tribunal number one. In the verdict, 19 people, including former state minister for Home Affairs Lutfuzzaman Babar, were sentenced to death.
The case of insulting Bangabandhu: On December 16, 2014, Tarique Rahman was convicted for the fourth time in the defamation case filed against Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in a rally organized by UK BNP in London.
On February 4, 2021, Judge Amatul Morsheda of District Judicial Magistrate Court 2 sentenced Tarique Rahman to two years imprisonment.