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Download PDF A Dhaka court yesterday accepted a charge sheet in the Tk 1-crore extortion case against Tarique Rahman and his close aide Mian Nuruddin Apu.
Metropolitan Magistrate Abdur Rouf Khan of the Speedy Trial Court-2 also issued an arrest warrant against Apu and ordered to attach his moveable and immovable properties for not surrendering to the court.
He directed the authorities concerned to report back by March 29 on the progress in execution of the order [for arrest and property attachment].
Amin Ahmed, owner of Al-Amin Constructions, filed the case against Tarique, eldest son of Khaleda Zia and senior joint secretary general of BNP, on March 8.
Gulshan police submitted the charge sheet to the Court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM), Dhaka on Sunday, showing 12 people as prosecution witnesses.
The investigation had been completed in seven workdays as per provision of the Speedy Trial Act.
Tarique was brought to the court in a prison van at 11:30am under tight security. In a violet tee shirt and white trousers, he looked depressed in the dock.
During hearing on the charge sheet that lasted for around 15 minutes, the immediate past premier’s son asked one of his counsels about his chances in the case. In reply, the lawyers told him not to lose heart, said sources.
The defence argued that the charges against Tarique were “false, fabricated and concocted and they were brought only to harass him”. They petitioned the court to clear him of the allegations.
On the other hand, the prosecution came up with statements of the witnesses and circumstantial evidence and prayed for the charge sheet to be accepted.
The investigation officer (IO) of the case said the allegations against the two have been proved primarily and they should be tried under the Speedy Trial (Law and Order Disruption) Act.
The joint forces arrested Tarique at his mother’s cantonment residence in a midnight raid on March 8.
He is now in a month’s detention in the Dhaka Central Jail. While remanded in the custody of Joint Interrogation Cell (JIC) for four days, he was quizzed extensively about the extortion charge and other allegations of graft, sources said.
Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court yesterday turned down a petition filed against a lower court’s rejecting bail for Tarique on March 8.
Justice Momin Ullah gave the order on hearing arguments from both the sides.
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