The High Court on Wednesday acquitted Bangladesh Nationalist Party acting chairman Tarique Rahman and his wife Zubaida Rahman in a corruption case, overturning a lower court verdict that had sentenced Tarique to six years and Zubaida to three years imprisonment in absentia.
The case, filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission, accused the couple of amassing illegal wealth and concealing information about a Tk聽35 lakh fixed deposit.
Zubaida had claimed the money was a gift from her mother, derived from rental income.
Lawyers aligned with the BNP told 抖阴精品 that the High Court verdict effectively nullified all 84 cases previously lodged against Tarique, as this was the only case in which he had been convicted.
The High Court bench of Justice Md Khasruzzaman delivered the judgment after allowing Zubaida Rahman鈥檚 delayed appeal 鈥� filed 587 days past the legal deadline.
Under the law, convicts are required to file appeals within 30 days of a verdict.
Although Tarique did not file an appeal and remains a fugitive under law, he received the benefit of the acquittal based on precedents set by the Appellate Division in similar cases involving co-accused, said ACC lawyer Asif Hasan.
Zubaida鈥檚 counsel SM Shajahan argued that the charges were politically motivated, originating during the 2007鈥�2008 anti-corruption crackdown under the military-backed caretaker government.
Zubaida returned to Dhaka on May 6, 2025, after staying 16 years in abroad, along with her mother-in-law, BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia.
Ahead of her return, the Ministry of Home Affairs鈥� Security Services Division suspended her sentence for one year by executive order, contingent upon her surrender and filing of an appeal.
On May 13, the High Court formally condoned the delay in her appeal and accepted her plea for legal redress.
Tarique, arrested during the 2007 crackdown, was released on bail in 2008 and has since been living in self-imposed exile in London.
