Mystery shrouds over Tarique�s passports

The police and the Department of Immigration and Passports (DIP) are in a quandary over the number of passports and the one with which BNP senior vice chairman Tarique Rahman travelled to London.
 The issue came up when the police and DIP were asked to reply to a petition before the High Court on how Tarique was holding four passports in his name.  
Upon inquiry, the police came to know that, not four but a total of seven passports were issued to Tarique Rahman, all issued in sequence.
 One of the passports was issued against the BNP leader's lost passport on September 4, 2008, shortly before he left the country for treatment in London.  
But DIP sources revealed that they have found no file regarding two passports issued in Tarique Rahman's name. The numbers of these two passports are: N 0568215 and H 705549. There are also mysteries surrounding the remaining five passports.
Of the seven passports, three were renewed nearly two years before their expiry, while the other four were issued replacing the lost ones. According to different intelligence sources, Tarique Rahman had lost four passports. Also, the loss circular of the DIP published on September 4, 2008, stated that four passports were lost. The numbers of these passports are 0401309, P 0998381, V 0085483 and W 0757424. But what is puzzling is that the BNP leader had filed general diaries (GDs) with the police stations three to four years after losing the passports.
Passport no. W 0757424 was issued on October 7, 2003. It was lost in 2004 and a GD was filed with Dhanmondi Police Station on September 2, 2008, four years after the loss.
Meanwhile, additional attorney general Tapas Biswas informed the court that the passport with which Tarique Rahman travelled to London on September 4, 2008, had its expiry date in 2010. It was renewed in 2008, and its new expiry date was September 2013. Earlier, the court had raised questions over the irregularities in the whole process and asked the foreign secretary to submit a report by July 27.
The Department of Immigration and Passports (DIP) has been asked to answer how the passport was renewed one and a half years before its expiry and whether it was renewed following due procedures by the Bangladesh High Commission in London. Tarique Rahman carries no machine-readable passports.
Police officials said they have been investigating the matter.
Officials of Bangladesh High Commission in London said, according to sources, Tarique Rahman is living in London on special refugee status as he is yet to get political asylum.
The British Foreign and Commonwealth office had declined to answer repeated queries made by the Bangladesh High Commission over his status, citing their Data Protection Act,1998.
Tarique Rahman was arrested on charges of corruption from his residence at Dhaka Cantonment on March 7, 2007. At that time, 13 corruption cases were filed against him. At present, he is facing a total of 68 cases in Bangladesh. Following a petition by an official of the Anti Corruption Commission in a money laundering case against Tarique, a Dhaka court issued an arrest warrant against the BNP leader and asked authorities to carryout the warrant through the Interpol.

 

Mystery shrouds over Tarique�s passports

The police and the Department of Immigration and Passports (DIP) are in a quandary over the number of passports and the one with which BNP senior vice chairman Tarique Rahman travelled to London. The issue came up when the police and DIP were asked to reply to a petition before the High Court on how Tarique was holding four passports in his name. Upon inquiry, the police came to know that, not four but a total of seven passports were issued to Tarique Rahman, all issued in sequence. One of the passports was issued against the BNP leaders lost passport on September 4, 2008, shortly before he left the country for treatment in London. But DIP sources revealed that they have found no file regarding two passports issued in Tarique Rahmans name. The numbers of these two passports are: N 0568215 and H 705549. There are also mysteries surrounding the remaining five passports. Of the seven passports, three were renewed nearly two years before their expiry, while the other four were issued replacing the lost ones. According to different intelligence sources, Tarique Rahman had lost four passports. Also, the loss circular of the DIP published on September 4, 2008, stated that four passports were lost. The numbers of these passports are 0401309, P 0998381, V 0085483 and W 0757424. But what is puzzling is that the BNP leader had filed general diaries (GDs) with the police stations three to four years after losing the passports. Passport no. W 0757424 was issued on October 7, 2003. It was lost in 2004 and a GD was filed with Dhanmondi Police Station on September 2, 2008, four years after the loss. Meanwhile, additional attorney general Tapas Biswas informed the court that the passport with which Tarique Rahman travelled to London on September 4, 2008, had its expiry date in 2010. It was renewed in 2008, and its new expiry date was September 2013. Earlier, the court had raised questions over the irregularities in the whole process and asked the foreign secretary to submit a report by July 27. The Department of Immigration and Passports (DIP) has been asked to answer how the passport was renewed one and a half years before its expiry and whether it was renewed following due procedures by the Bangladesh High Commission in London. Tarique Rahman carries no machine-readable passports. Police officials said they have been investigating the matter. Officials of Bangladesh High Commission in London said, according to sources, Tarique Rahman is living in London on special refugee status as he is yet to get political asylum. The British Foreign and Commonwealth office had declined to answer repeated queries made by the Bangladesh High Commission over his status, citing their Data Protection Act,1998. Tarique Rahman was arrested on charges of corruption from his residence at Dhaka Cantonment on March 7, 2007. At that time, 13 corruption cases were filed against him. At present, he is facing a total of 68 cases in Bangladesh. Following a petition by an official of the Anti Corruption Commission in a money laundering case against Tarique, a Dhaka court issued an arrest warrant against the BNP leader and asked authorities to carryout the warrant through the Interpol.