Staff Reporter :
The BNP will stage demonstrations in the Dhaka city and all the district headquarters across the country on Saturday to protest the party’s Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman’s conviction in a money-laundering case. The party said that it will appeal after Tarique’s return from the UK. The party says that the conviction is ‘contrary to justice’.
The Chhatra Dal has, meanwhile, called for observance of strike on Sunday in the country’s all the educational institutions, while the Juba Dal and the Sechchhasebak Dal will demonstrate today.
‘Tarique Rahman has been denied justice.’ BNP will protest it by staging demonstrations today (Saturday) in Dhaka city and all the district headquarters,” said BNP Senior Joint-Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi at a press conference in the party’s Nayapaltan office on Friday morning.
“In the verdict the government’s will has been reflected,” Rizvi said.
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia held an emergency meeting with her party’s senior leaders on Thursday night.
In the judgment delivered on Thursday, the High Court sentenced Tarique Rahman to seven years’ imprisonment and fined him Tk 20 crore scrapping his acquittal in the money-laundering case.
On November 17, 2013, a Dhaka court acquitted Tarique but sentenced his friend and business partner Giasuddin Al Mamun to seven years’ jail and fined him Tk 40 crore on the charge of siphoning off Tk 20.41 crore abroad between 2003 and 2007.
In the press briefing BNP Chairperson’s advisor Khandakar Mahbub Hossain said, Tarique will appeal against the High Court’s verdict after his return from the UK, as there is no time limitation to do it in a criminal case.
He alleged justice had been denied to Tarique Rahman.
“This punishment goes against justice. The High Court unilaterally convicted him, as no lawyer could submit any statement in the court in favour of Tarique Rahman since he was shown fugitive in the case,” said Khandakar Mahbub Hossain, the former president of Supreme Court Bar Association.
He said, the government punished Tarique with a motive to politically harass and malign him. Tarique’s only offence is he is a political leader, son of Ziaur Rahman, and BNP’s future leader, he claimed.
He said the trial court acquitted their leader based on evidence and statements of witness. “The High Court punished him in his absence. As no lawyer could move in his favour, he was convicted as a corrupt tying his hands and legs.” He urged the government to investigate the case properly by right persons and in the right way.
Khandakar Mahbub said, Tarique Rahman will surely come back home in due time and appeal against the case. “I believe people will know one day that the government has punished him illegally out of political vengeance,” he said. As his attention was drawn to the Law Minister’s comment that BNP influenced the lower court, he said, “You can consider how much the government can influence the court when BNP can do it.”
Party standing committee members Dr. Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Brigadier General (rtd) ASM Hannan Shah, Mirza Abbas, Goyeshwar Chandra Roy, Vice-Chairman Abdullah Al Noman, Senior Joint-Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi and Joint-Secretary General Mahbub Uddin Khokan were, among others, present.
The BNP will stage demonstrations in the Dhaka city and all the district headquarters across the country on Saturday to protest the party’s Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman’s conviction in a money-laundering case. The party said that it will appeal after Tarique’s return from the UK. The party says that the conviction is ‘contrary to justice’.
The Chhatra Dal has, meanwhile, called for observance of strike on Sunday in the country’s all the educational institutions, while the Juba Dal and the Sechchhasebak Dal will demonstrate today.
‘Tarique Rahman has been denied justice.’ BNP will protest it by staging demonstrations today (Saturday) in Dhaka city and all the district headquarters,” said BNP Senior Joint-Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi at a press conference in the party’s Nayapaltan office on Friday morning.
“In the verdict the government’s will has been reflected,” Rizvi said.
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia held an emergency meeting with her party’s senior leaders on Thursday night.
In the judgment delivered on Thursday, the High Court sentenced Tarique Rahman to seven years’ imprisonment and fined him Tk 20 crore scrapping his acquittal in the money-laundering case.
On November 17, 2013, a Dhaka court acquitted Tarique but sentenced his friend and business partner Giasuddin Al Mamun to seven years’ jail and fined him Tk 40 crore on the charge of siphoning off Tk 20.41 crore abroad between 2003 and 2007.
In the press briefing BNP Chairperson’s advisor Khandakar Mahbub Hossain said, Tarique will appeal against the High Court’s verdict after his return from the UK, as there is no time limitation to do it in a criminal case.
He alleged justice had been denied to Tarique Rahman.
“This punishment goes against justice. The High Court unilaterally convicted him, as no lawyer could submit any statement in the court in favour of Tarique Rahman since he was shown fugitive in the case,” said Khandakar Mahbub Hossain, the former president of Supreme Court Bar Association.
He said, the government punished Tarique with a motive to politically harass and malign him. Tarique’s only offence is he is a political leader, son of Ziaur Rahman, and BNP’s future leader, he claimed.
He said the trial court acquitted their leader based on evidence and statements of witness. “The High Court punished him in his absence. As no lawyer could move in his favour, he was convicted as a corrupt tying his hands and legs.” He urged the government to investigate the case properly by right persons and in the right way.
Khandakar Mahbub said, Tarique Rahman will surely come back home in due time and appeal against the case. “I believe people will know one day that the government has punished him illegally out of political vengeance,” he said. As his attention was drawn to the Law Minister’s comment that BNP influenced the lower court, he said, “You can consider how much the government can influence the court when BNP can do it.”
Party standing committee members Dr. Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Brigadier General (rtd) ASM Hannan Shah, Mirza Abbas, Goyeshwar Chandra Roy, Vice-Chairman Abdullah Al Noman, Senior Joint-Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi and Joint-Secretary General Mahbub Uddin Khokan were, among others, present.
