Prosecution lawyers blamed for delay

The head of Anti-Corruption Commission on Monday blamed prosecutors for the delay in obtaining an arrest warrant against BNP leader Tarique Rahman in a money-laundering case.

"We cannot pay much to engage highly competent lawyers in the ACC panel. It might be a reason behind the delay in obtaining the court order," ACC chief Ghulam Rahman told The Daily Star.

The comment came a day after a Dhaka court issued an arrest order for the senior vice-chairman of the main opposition party.

The order was issued after ACC lawyer Mosharraf Hossain Kajol sought fresh arrest warrant against Tarique, also elder son of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and late president Ziaur Rahman.

Tarique has been in exile in London since September 2008 when he obtained bail in other cases filed against him. He was arrested in 2007 during an anti-graft crackdown conducted by the military-backed caretaker government of the time.

On August 8, 2011, the court framing money laundering charges against Tarique issued an arrest warrant against him in the case. Police were, however, unable to arrest him as he was, and continues to be, abroad. Tarique has 16 other cases hanging over him.