Former Jatiya Party leader and member of parliament Golam Faruq Ovi has been acquitted by a court in the 2002 murder case of model Syeda Tania Mahbub Tinni.
The verdict was delivered on Tuesday afternoon by Dhaka's Second Additional District and Sessions Judge Mosammat Shahinur Akter.
In her summary of the case, the judge said that out of a total of 41 witnesses, only 26 provided testimony.
The prosecution failed to prove the charges against the accused, the court said.
As a result, Golam Faruq Ovi was acquitted of all charges.
State counsel Syed Md Abu Zafar Rizvi expressed dissatisfaction with the verdict and said a decision on whether to appeal would be made after reviewing the full judgment.
Golam Faruq Ovi, who remains absconding, was represented by state-appointed lawyer Shah Ilyas Ratan, who expressed satisfaction with the court's decision.
The case began after Tinni's body was discovered on the night of November 10, 2002, near the 11th pillar of the 1st China Friendship Bridge on the Buriganga River in Keraniganj.
The following day, then-assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of Keraniganj police station, Md Safi Uddin, filed a case against unidentified individuals.
The investigation was later handed over to the CID on November 24, 2002.
From the beginning of the case, Ovi remained in hiding.
The court framed charges against him on July 14, 2010.
