Money-Laundering case
HC order on Tarique acquittal today
The High Court (HC) will deliver its verdict today on an appeal filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) against a lower court verdict that had acquitted the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) senior vice-chairman Tarique Rahman of a money-laundering charge.
The HC will also deliver its verdict on another appeal filed by Tariques friend Gias Uddin Al Mamun against his seven- year conviction on the same charge of siphoning off Tk. 20.41 crore to Singapore.
An HC bench, comprising Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Amir Hossain, yesterday announced that it would deliver its verdict on the appeals on Thursday.
On June 16, after concluding hearing on both the appeals, the same bench kept the appeals as CAV, meaning the court would consider the matter (pronounce verdict) any day.
The anti-graft watchdog had filed a case against Tarique and his friend and business partner, Giasuddin Al Mamun, in October 2009 on charge of siphoning off the money to Singapore between 2003 and 2007.
On November 17, 2013, a Dhaka court acquitted Tarique and sentenced Mamun to seven years imprisonment, and also imposed a fine of Tk. 40 crore in the case.
On December 5 that year, the ACC appealed to the HC against Tariques acquittal in the case.
Following the appeal, the HC on January 19, 2014, asked the lower court to send the case records to it and ordered Tarique to surrender before the trial court. The HC, however, asked the trial court to grant him bail after his surrender.
The case is one among 16, including the August 21 grenade attack case, filed against Tarique. He was arrested on March 7, 2007, during a crackdown by a military-backed caretaker government.
On parole, Tarique went to London in September 2008 for treatment and has been living there since then. Mamun is now in jail.
