Bangladesh News

Detained former premier Khaleda Zia and her elder son Tarique Rahman were shown arrested yesterday in a case filed for embezzling over Tk 2.10 crore by forming a fake establishment named Zia Orphanage Trust.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Golam Rabbani passed the order after Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) Deputy Assistant Director Harunur Rashid, also the investigation officer (IO) of the case, submitted a petition for showing them arrested in the case.

The commission filed the case against seven people including Khaleda and Tarique with Ramna Police Station on July 3 for committing the offences.

According to the case proceedings, the then prime minister Khaleda Zia, her son Tarique and the other five accused embezzled over Tk 2.10 crore by establishing an organisation that only exists on paper.

The five other accused are former BNP lawmaker Qazi Saleemul Huq Kamal, Syed Ahmed alias Sayeed Ahmed, Gias Uddin Ahmed, Sharfuddin Ahmed and Khaleda’s nephew Mominur Rahman.

Meanwhile, A Dhaka court yesterday fixed July 29 for next hearing of the case filed against detained former state minister for home Lutfozzaman Babar for amassing wealth illegally.

After scrutinising all relevant documents, Metropolitan Sessions Judge Mohammad Azizul Haque took the charges into cognisance and asked the jail authorities to produce Babar before the court on the scheduled date.

ACC Deputy Assistant Director Rupuk Kumar Saha, also the IO of the case, submitted the charge sheet to the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, showing nine people as prosecution witnesses.

The IO said the former state minister had amassed wealth worth over Tk 6.79 crore illegally and hid information about his wealth worth over Tk 7 crore from the commission.

ACC Assistant Director Mirza Zahidul Alam filed the case against Babar with Ramna Police Station on January 13 on charges of amassing wealth worth Tk 6.74 crore illegally and concealing information about his assets worth Tk 7.6 crore from the comnmission.

Babar in his wealth statement submitted to the ACC claimed that he and his family have about Tk 6.77 crore in moveable and immovable property.