The High Court has acquitted BNP’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman and his wife Zubaida Rahman in a long-standing graft case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), which accused the couple of amassing wealth beyond known sources of income and concealing asset information.
The verdict was delivered on Wednesday by a single-member High Court bench of Justice Md Khizir Hayat.
The ruling came after the court accepted the appeal filed by Zubaida and overturned the previous conviction delivered by a lower court.
The hearing on Zubaida’s appeal concluded on May 26, and the court had fixed May 28 for the pronouncement of the verdict.
Senior lawyers SM Shahjahan, Kaiser Kamal, and Zakir Hossain Bhuiyan represented Zubaida during the appeal hearing, while Advocate Asif Hasan appeared on behalf of the ACC.
Following the verdict, Asif said the court found the prosecution had failed to substantiate the charges against Zubaida. As a result, the verdict also extended to Tarique, effectively acquitting both in the case.
The ACC had filed the case in September 2007 at Kafrul Police Station in Dhaka, accusing Tarique, Zubaida, and another person of concealing information about assets and acquiring wealth inconsistent with their known income sources. A charge sheet was submitted in 2008.
In August 2023, the Dhaka Senior Special Judge’s Court sentenced Tarique to nine years in prison under two sections of the law — six years under one charge and three under another, to run concurrently.
Zubaida was sentenced to three years in prison and fined. At the time of sentencing, both were residing in the United Kingdom.
However, on November 4, 2023, the Home Ministry issued a notification suspending Zubaida’s sentence for one year. The suspension followed her formal request and a legal review by the Law Ministry.
After spending over 17 years abroad, Zubaida returned to Bangladesh from the UK earlier this month. Zubaida and Tarique had originally left the country in 2008 amid political turmoil and legal challenges facing the BNP leadership.
Upon her return, Zubaida petitioned the High Court on May 13, seeking a waiver for a delay of 587 days in filing her appeal against the conviction.
The court granted the request, clearing the way for her formal appeal and a bail application. On May 14, the court accepted her appeal for hearing and granted her bail.
After a full hearing, the High Court on Wednesday delivered its verdict, acquitting both Zubaida and Tarique of all charges, citing insufficient evidence to uphold the convictions.
The acquittal is a significant legal and political development for the BNP, which has long alleged that cases against its top leadership were politically motivated.
The verdict may also have implications for the party’s internal leadership dynamics and its preparations ahead of future electoral processes.