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Graft case against Tarique, Zubaida: 2 more testify
Tarique, Zubaida
The Senior Special Judge Court of Dhaka Thursday recorded the depositions of two more witnesses in a graft case filed against BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman and his wife Dr Zubaida Rahman.
Judge Md Asaduzzaman of the court recorded the depositions of two witnesses. They are seizure list witnesses- Imran Ali Sikder and Syed Azad Iqbal. Later, the court fixed May 28 to record the depositions of other witnesses.
With them, the court, of the 56 prosecution witnesses, so far, recorded the depositions of three witnesses of the case. Earlier, on May 21, the complainant of the case the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Deputy Director Jahirul Huda testified in the case.
The court on April 13 of 2013, framed charges against the fugitive accused and scrapped their petition to allow them appoint lawyer to defend the in the court in their absentia.
ACC Deputy Director Jahirul Huda filed the case against three people with the capital’s Kafrul Police Station on September 26, 2007 for amassing illegal wealth amounting to Tk 4,81,53,561, concealing information about their assets and amassing wealth beyond their known sources of income. The other accused was Dr Zubaida’s mother Iqbal Mand Banu.
However, later, Iqbal Mand’s name was dropped from the case.
The anti-graft body submitted the charge sheet of the case in 2008. In the year, Dr Zubaida submitted a petition to the High Court, pleading to quash the proceedings of the case while the High Court stayed the proceedings of the case. The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court upheld the verdict of the High Court.
Later, the High Court after final hearing in the case, cancelled the plea of Dr Zubaida Rahman on April 12, 2017 and asked her to appear in the trial court within eight weeks.
Then, Dr Zubaida filed a leave to appeal petition against High Court order with the Appellate Division. Later, the Appellate Division, scrapped Dr Zubaida’s leave to appeal petition and upheld the High Court Order. - Special Correspondent