The New Nation - Internet Edition

Bdnews24.com, Dhaka

The High Court yesterday granted Tarique Rahman six-month interim bail in an extortion case.

The bench of justices Tariqul Halim and Sheikh Abdul Awal gave the orders after former primer minister Khaleda Zia's elder son made the appeal.

Ahmed Amin Bhuiyan, owner of Uday Tower, a multi-storey building in Gulshan, filed the case with Gulshan Police Station on March 8 last year.

The plaintiff in his complaint said Tarique had called him at Hawa Bhaban, the BNP chiarperson's political office, in January last year and asked him to regularly pay money.

Tarique had also demanded Tk 1 crore at the time, which Bhuiyan agreed to pay under duress.

When Bhuiyan had gone to Tarique with a cheque of Tk 1 crore, the all-powerful BNP leader refused it and demanded the sum in cash.

Then, the plaintiff's brother Faruk Ahmed took the money in two briefcases to Hawa Bhaban where Tarique's assistant Apu received them.

Tarique informed Bhuiyan the next day that he had the money.

Bhuiyan was a BNP candidate from Noakhali-2 constituency in the forestalled January 22, 2007 elections.

Khaleda and her son have appealed for bail in six cases including the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case.

The hearing will be held on those appeals tomorrow.