The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

The Anti-Corruption Commission yesterday filed a corruption case against former prime minister Khaleda Zia's eldest son and BNP's senior joint secretary general Tarique Rahman for acquiring wealth worth about Tk 5 crore.

ACC deputy director Jahurul Huda filed the first information report

(FIR) with the city's Kafrul police station at about 2:50pm against Tarique Rahman for acquiring wealth worth over Tk 4.23 crore beyond his known source of income, which was not included in his wealth statement submited to the anti-graft watchdog earlier.

In the same case, Tarique's wife Dr Jubaida Rahman and mother-in-law Iqbal Mand Banu were also made accused for helping Tarique in acquiring and possessing the illegal wealth.

It is learnt that Tarique Rahman submited a statement of his movable and immovable property to the ACC through the Dhaka Central Jail authorities on June 10 last Carrying out an investigation into the statement, the ACC investigation officials detected property worth Tk 58 lakh beyond his known income. The amount includes Tk 38 lakh fixed deposit (FDR) in the name of wife Dr Jubaida Rahman and Tk 20 lakh fixed deposit (FDR) in the name of daughter Jaima Rahman.

During the investigation, the ACC officials also found property worth Tk 4.30 crore apart from the information about wealth mentioned in the statement Thus, the illegal property worth Tk 4.81 crore was detected which was proved to be beyond the known income of Tarique Rahman.

The property worth Tk 4.30 crore which was not mentioned in the statement includes 10 katha of residential plot at Bashundhara in the name of daughter Jaima Rahman. The price of the land has been shown at Tk 4.5 lakh in the deed of the land although its real value is about Tk 1 crore. Tarique Rahman bought this piece of land in his daughter's name in 2005. Apart from this, Tarique Rahman bought 132 decimal of land at Mirpur, Gazipur on May 10, 1993 jointly with close his friend Giasuddin Al Mamun. The price of the land was shown at Tk 80,000 only in the deed of the land. Besides, there are two bighas of land bought jointly with Mamun in Gazipur and the price of the land was shown at Tk 33,000 only. Tarique has 25 decimal of land in Gazipur and the price of the land was shown at Tk 15,000 in the deed.

Moreover, Tk 4,210, Tk 50,000 and Tk 2,500 were found in three accounts of South East Bank Ltd, and Arab Bangladesh Bank Ltd. He has Tk 4 crore in his name with the Daily Dinkal.

Thus, the ACC investigation officials found that Tarique concealed information about his wealth worth Tk 4.81 crore in his statement

Jahirul Huda told reporters that charges were brought against them under Section 26 (2), 27 (1) of the ACC Act 2004, Bangladesh Penal Code 109 and Section 15 (Gha) (5) of the Emergency Power Rules 2007.

Tarique, the eldest son of former Prime Minister and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, was arrested form his mother's cantonment residence in an extortion case on March 8.

Meanwhile, BNP chairperson and ex-PM Khaleda Zia has expressed shock at the filing of corruption case implicating her eldest son Tarique Rahman, his wife Zobaida Rahman and mother-in-law Syeda Iqbal Mand Banu.

Income tax lawyer Ahmad Azam Khan stated this to reporters after meeting with Khaleda detained at a makeshift jail in parliamentbuilding compound yesterday afternoon.

Khan said Begum Zia asked her party men to continue legal fight to release detained BNP leaders.

The BNP chairperson also inquired of her detained youngest son Afarat's health condition and urged the government to send him to Singapore or Bangkok for beter treatment