Sixty-three Bangladeshis are currently named in the Interpol red notice. BNP’s acting Chairperson Tarique Rahman’s name is not among them. As a result, there are no options to bring him back through Interpol.
Home Ministry and police officials say Tarique has to be brought back following British law.
Concerned officials say the Interpol had issued a red notice against Tarique at the beginning of 2015 after he was accused in various cases including the August 21 grenade attack on an Awami League rally.
Tarique’s lawyers challenged the Interpol decision. The Interpol Commission ordered the withdrawal of the notice on March 14, 2016 saying it was contradictory to Article 3 of the Interpol Constitution, which forbids the Organization from undertaking any intervention or activities of a political, military, religious or racial character.
Police headquarters NCB sources say the Interpol has 192 members including Bangladesh. The members bring back fugitives from other countries by locating and arresting them with the help of Interpol.
When police are certain that an accused or a criminal has fled the country, they inform the headquarters which in turn take necessary steps through its NCB branch.
Police provide detailed information about fugitives to the Interpol and requests it to identify the person’s location and arrest him. The NCB is notified when the absconder is located and arrested.
Police headquarters then inform the Home Ministry which then works with the Foreign Ministry to bring back the fugitive.
An official of the police headquarter say it is not possible to bring someone back easily. “The government of the country the person is found in has to cooperate as well. They also consider whether their law permits (the repatriation). It becomes difficult to bring back an absconding accused or criminal in the absence of good bilateral ties and [repatriation] deal,” the official added.
Bangladesh joined Interpol in 1976. But it was after the ‘90s that Bangladesh started sending names of various absconders to the Interpol.
It has so far been able to bring back 10 fugitives from abroad since 2012.
Public Security Division Secretary Mostafa Kamal Uddin declined to comment on Tarique, saying the ministry and the concerned department of the police headquarters were working to bring back fugitives hiding in foreign countries.
On April 18, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said Bangladesh had already sought the Interpol’s assistance to bring back Tarique who was sentenced to seven years in jail in money laundering case and another 10 years in the Zia Orphanage Trust case.
“The Home Ministry has written to the Interpol and informed the UK High Commission about it,” he said. “Tarique Rahman is currently staying in London in the pretext of medical treatment. He has sought political asylum there. It has been learnt that the country has granted him asylum.
“If they provided him political asylum, the process to send him back to Bangladesh will depend on the UK government.”
This article was first published on banglatribune.com
Thursday, June 04, 2026
