The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

A court in Dhaka yesterday rejected the bail petition of BNP's senior joint secretary general Tarique Rahman in a case field with Kafrul police station in the city for extortion and high handedness in connection with trader dropping.

Md Azizul Haque, Metropolitan Sessions Judge of Dhaka heard the bail petition and rejected it. Tarique Rahman, elder son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, was arrested on March 7 last years under Section 16 (2) of be Emergency Power Rules 2007 as per general diary (GD) No 551 of Kafrul police station.

The police report says, Tarique Rahman was involved in offence related to the tenders of different ministries and extortion through his relations and known persons.

Adv Sanaullah Miah, Tarique's lawyer, has said during hearing, if any case in filed against an arrestee, his GD based charge becomes inactive. Although as per provisions the inquiry report is to be submitted within 15 days. After the filing of GD in the instant case report was not submitted ever after 375 days.

Meanwhile, the Anti Corruption Commission is going to submit charge sheet against detained Tarique Rahman very soon for hiding his wealth information.

The process of submission of charge sheet in the case against Tarique Rahman is at the final stage. We can assume that the charge sheet will be submitted very soon," ACC Director General (Admin) Col Hanif Iqbal told a Commission's regular briefing yesterday.

Replying to a question, he said, "The charge sheet can be submitted any time, any day."

To another questioner, Hanif said, "The charge sheet can be submitted by this week. I can't be certain. But, to the best of my knowledge it's at the final stage. The submission of charge sheet awaits the Commission's approval."

On September 26, 2007, the anti-graft watchdog filed the case with Kafrul police station against Tarique, his wife Dr Zobaida Rahman and mother-in-law Syeda Iqbal Mand Banu for concealing information of assets worth about Tk 4.23 crore and acquiring wealth worth about Tk 4.81 crore beyond their known sources of income.

The case was filed under Sections 26(2) and 27(1) of the Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2004, Section 109 of the Penal Code and Section 15(D)(5) of the Emergency Power Rules, 2007.

Following the filing of the case, ACC Assistant Director Taufiqul Islam investigated the case and submitted the memo of evidence (investigation report) on January 13 this year. The Commission before submission of the charge sheet is scrutinising the report.

Tarique, now in jail, was arrested on March 8, 2007 from his cantonment residence. Since then, 12 cases have been filed against him and one by the ACC.