Former BNP central organising secretary and ex deputy minister for land, Ruhul Quddus Talukder Dulu, has been acquitted in a 18-year-old tax evasion case filed by the National Board of Revenue (NBR).
The verdict was delivered on Sunday by judge of the Dhaka Special Judge Court, Md Robiul Alam.
Dulu’s lawyer, Advocate Mohammad Borhan Uddin, confirmed the ruling. He was present at the court during the verdict.
Speaking after the ruling, Borhan Uddin described the case as “harassment through a frivolous lawsuit.”
He said that four witnesses from the NBR had testified in the case, but the evidence was insufficient to sustain the charges.
The case was originally filed on 3 August 2008 by NBR Assistant Tax Commissioner Hafiz Al Asad.
According to the complaint, Dulu allegedly evaded tax on Tk1 crore out of total income of TK2.34 crore earned between 1983 and subsequent years.
The allegation also included providing false information to the tax authorities regarding his actual income and expenditure.
The court’s acquittal ends the long-standing legal battle, clearing Dulu of all tax evasion charges.
