Staff Reporter :
After almost 15 years of issuing two rules questioning the legality of a corruption case filed against BNP’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman, his wife, and her mother, the High Court on Tuesday sets April 20 for hearing.
In response to a prayer filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), the High Court bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Kazi Md Ejarul Haque Akondo set the date to hear the rules.
Lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan appeared in the hearing on behalf of the ACC, while Deputy Attorney General AKM Amin Uddin Manik represented the state.
The Anti-Corruption Commission filed the case on September 26, 2007, with Kafrul Police Station against Tarique
Rahman, who is now in London, his wife Zubaida, and her mother Syeda Iqbal Mand Banu for amassing assets through illegal means and concealing information in their wealth statement.
Tarique faces charges of earning around Tk 48.15 million from undisclosed sources and concealing information on the assets. His wife and mother-in-law were sued for assisting him and concealing information.
The same year Tarique Rahman and his wife Zubaida filed three separate writ petitions with the High Court challenging the legality of the corruption filed against them. The High Court then stayed the proceedings of the case and issued rules.
In the rules the High Court asked the state and the ACC to explain as to why the filing and initiation of the case under the then Emergency Power Rules should not be declared illegal. This rules came in the cause-list on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, following another petition filed by Zubaida, the HC on April 8, 2008, stayed the proceedings of the case against her and issued a rule asking the ACC to explain as to why the proceedings against her should not be scrapped.
After holding hearing on the rule, the HC on April 12, 2017 rejected the petition, lifted the stay order on the trial proceedings and asked Zubaida Rahman to surrender before a lower court concerned in eight weeks in the corruption case.
Without surrendering to the trial court, Zubaida Rahman filed a leave to appeal petition with the apex court challenging the HC verdict. After final hearing on the leave to appeal petition, the apex court on April 13 this year dismissed it.
