Graft case: Defence seeks permission to defend Tarique, his wife in their absence

The defence team for BNP acting Chairman Tarique Rahman and his wife Zubaida Rahman today submitted an application seeking permission to represent the two in their absence in a graft case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission in September 2007.

During the hearing, Masud Ahmed Talukder cited different rulings of higher courts that said a fugitive accused could get a lawyer if he or she was unable to appear before the court due to security reasons.

ACC Public Prosecutor Mir Ahmed Ali Salam opposed the petition, saying both the High Court and Supreme Court had settled the issue and ruled that a fugitive cannot get any lawyer to defend them at the court in their absence.

Upon hearing both sides, Judge Md Asaduzzaman of Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge's Court fixed April 9 for further hearing on the issue.

On January 19, the court directed the government to publish a gazette asking the couple to appear before it by February 6 in the case.

Quoting the gazette, the judge said it had earlier issued arrest warrants against them but police failed to arrest them as they went abroad to avoid the arrest.

Tarique and Zubaida have been in London since 2008.

On September 26, 2007, the anti-graft body filed the case with Kafrul Police Station against Tarique, his wife Zubaida and her mother Syeda Iqbal Mand Banu for amassing assets worth Tk 4.82 crore through illegal means and concealing the information of Tk 2.16 crore in their wealth statements.

However, trial proceedings against Tarique's mother-in-law Banu were rescinded.

Earlier, Tarique was sentenced to life in jail in the August 21 grenade attack cases.

He was also sentenced on different terms of punishment in two other cases, including the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case.