The main opposition BNP on Sunday termed the cases against party Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman false and politically motivated and demanded immediate withdrawal of the warrant for his arrest.
“Tarique is the most popular leader of the country and by filing false cases against him the government is trying to stigmatise him,” said Shamsuzzaman Dudu, adviser to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.
Dudu warned that people of the country will do whatever is needed to bring Tarique Rahman back to the country respectfully and they will not compromise on the issue.
“Tarique Rahman has no connection with the allegations for which he was implicated in the cases. Even the witnesses of the cases did not say Tarique had any link to the money laundering,” he said.
A Dhaka court ordered to bring back Tarique Rahman, senior vice-chairman of the main opposition party BNP, with the help of the Interpol.
Mozammel Huq, acting judge of the Dhaka Special Judge’s Court-3, on Sunday issued the order after hearing an Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) petition for bringing Tarique back to the country.
The court also ordered the authorities concerned to issue an English version of the warrant to the International Criminal Police Organisation, commonly known as Interpol.
The warrant was issued in a case filed against Tarique Rahman, the eldest son of opposition Chief Khaleda Zia, for siphoning off over Tk202.1m to Singapore between 2003 and 2007.
Advocate Mosharraf Hossain Kajol, the prosecution of a money laundering case against Tarique, filed an application before the court earlier on the day seeking its directive to bring back Tarique after issuing arrest warrant against him with the help of the Interpol.
The case was filed against the BNP leader during the tenure of the army-backed caretaker government in which Tarique secured bail and left for the UK for “medical treatment” on September 11, 2008.
Charges were pressed against him in his absence on August 8, 2011 following an unsuccessful court order for him to appear before the court.
Addressing a post hartal briefing at the party’s Naya Paltan headquarters in the capital Dudu said: “A minister said the government would seek support from the Interpol to bring Tarique back.”
After two days of the minister’s statement, the court issued the arrest warrant. People naturally suspect if there is any connection between the court order and the minister’s statement, he noted.
Dudu quoted Tarqiue as saying at a programme in London that 90% people of the country want restoration of the caretaker government system.
State Minister for Law Quamrul Islam on Saturday said a warrant for arrest of BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman was issued and dispatched to his address in Dhaka.
The senior Vice-chairman of the BNP, who faces charges of corruption and involvement in the August 21 grenade attack on an Awami League rally, has been in London for treatment since September 2008 when he was released on bail.
Recently Tarique attended a political programme in London where he accused the government of killing scores of people at the rally of the Hefazat-e-Islam in the dark of night.
He demanded restoration of the caretaker government system.
