M Faruque Hossain :The High Court (HC) on Thursday sentenced Tarique Rahman, Senior Vice-Chairman of BNP to seven years’ jail and fined Tk 20 crore in a Money Laundering Case cancelling his acquittal order by the lower court. The HC bench comprising Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Amir Hossain delivered the judgment in a jam packed court room with lawyers and political personnel. The court upheld the trial court verdict against Giasuddin Al Mamun, friend and business partner of Tarique, commuting financial fine by Tk 20 crore instead of Tk 40 crore and seven years’ imprisonment in the same case. The court in its observation said, “Tarique Rahman belonging to a political class, which was saddled with the responsibility of directing the affairs of the country, had acted as a conscious part of the financial crime. He being the mighty political elite by virtue of his position obtained dirty money in the name of ‘consultation fee’ through his close cohort (convict Giasuddin Al Mamun). This kind of corruption being backed by political influence threatens good governance, sustainable development, and democratic process.” “This manner of financial crimes as the upshot of achieving wealth in corrupt ways committed under political shield is in increase. Time has come to get this type of criminal activities carried out by using political favour and patronization halted for the cause of well-being of the country and its development process,” the court observation said. “The trend of obtaining ill-gotten money by extending undue favour to an individual or a group, in exercise of political might must be stopped. The society should awake to condemn and prevent political patronization in accomplishing such organized financial criminal activities affecting the country’s economy and development,” it further added. The court directed the trial court to issue conviction warrant against Tarique Rahman. It also directed the Anti-Corruption Commission to take necessary steps in accordance with law to prosecute Md Moyazzam Hosen, Chairman, Hosaf Group, Khadiza Islam, Chairman, Nirman Construction, Mayer Sairee and Merina Jaman who were the parties in the process of laundering money and aided Tarique in gaining the laundered money. The money laundering case was filed with the Dhaka Cantonment Police Station on October 26, 2009 and the case proceedings started on July 6, 2011. According to the case documents, Giasuddin Al Mamun had taken a bribe of Tk 20,41 crore from Khadiza Islam, Chairman of Nirman Construction promising to help to get a tender that proposed construction of an 80 MW power station in Tongi. Mamun deposited the money in the City Bank, Capital Street branch and Tarique withdrew Tk 30.78 million from his account using a supplementary credit card issued in his own name but in Mamun’s account. A trial court acquitted Tarique from the charges and sentenced his friend Mamun to seven year of imprisonment with Tk 40 crore as fine. The ACC appealed against the verdict on December 5, 2013. Advocate Zainul Abedin told reporters that his client was not involved in money laundering. Another lawyer Mahbub Uddin Khokon representing Tarique Rahman reiterated that Tarique did not get justice. They will scrutinize whether there is any chance to file an appeal.
