Court orders confiscation of Tarique couple properties

A Dhaka court has directed police to confiscate tangible and intangible properties of BNP acting Chairman Tarique Rahman and his wife Zubaida Rahman in a graft case.

The Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge's Court issued the order on Thursday in connection with a corruption case against them.

The Officer-in-Charge of Cantonment Police Station has been ordered to submit a compliance report by January 19.

Following the court’s order, moveable (bank accounts) and immovable (land-related) properties of Tarique couple will be confiscated.

During the last caretaker government’s crusade against corruption in the high place, the  Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) lodged the case against Tarique Rahman, his wife and mother-in-law with Kafrul Police Station.

In the case filed on September 26, 2007, the ACC accused Tarique Rahman, his wife Zubaida and his mother-in-law Syeda Iqbal Mand Banu of amassing assets worth Tk 4.82 crore through illegal means and concealing the information of Tk 2.16 crore in their wealth statements.

The investigation officer of the case, on March 31, 2009, submitted charge-sheet to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court, Dhaka against the trio. On November 1 last year, the Dhaka court accepted charge-sheet and issued arrest warrants against the duo.

However, Tarique and his wife moved to the High Court challenging the proceedings of the case against them.

On June 26 last year, the High Court rejected the writ petitions of the duo and declared them "fugitives" in the graft case.

The HC also lifted its stay order clearing way for trial of them. The HC also directed the trial court to expedite the trial as soon as possible.

However, the proceedings of the case against Tarique Rahman's mother-in-law Syeda Iqbal Mand Banu were scrapped.

Tarique Rahman, elder son of military ruler and BNP founder Ziaur Rahman and Khaleda Zia, has been in self-exile in London since 2008.

Talking to press, Anti-Corruption Commission lawyer Mosharraf Hossain Kajol said “The court has authority to confiscate properties of any accused if he or she remains fugitive or is not arrested. It is normal course of law. There is no political twist in the order.”   

Mentionable, Tarique Rahman is facing many corruption and criminal cases. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in the August 21 grenade attack case. He was also convicted in Zia Orphanage Trust graft case.