Zakir Hossain / Dhaka
A Dhaka court has acquitted Bangladesh’s former premier Khaleda Zia’s son and BNP’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman, former state minister for home affairs Lutfozzaman Babar, and six others in a bribery case linked to a murder investigation.
Judge Md Abu Taher of Dhaka Special Judge Court-3 announced the verdict on Thursday. BNP lawyer Borhan Uddin stated, “The ACC failed to provide evidence, and there are no legal barriers preventing Tarique Rahman from returning and participating in politics.” The case, filed in 2007, alleged that Tk 21 crore was exchanged to drop a name from the murder case of Bashundhara Group director Humayun Kabir Sabbir. However, the court found no grounds to proceed.
Tarique Rahman, widely regarded as the most popular and strongest candidate for the prime ministerial position in the upcoming national election, is now free to return to Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia is expected to return home in mid-April, UK BNP President MA Malek said at an Iftar event in London. “Her doctors are making necessary preparations, and she is ready to go home,” he added.