Tarique faces arrest in explosives case, too

Dhaka, July 14 (bdnews24.com)?After the Aug 21 grenade attack killing case, a Dhaka court has issued arrest warrant for BNP chief Khaleda Zia's eldest son Tarique Rahman in the case filed for use of explosives in the same incident.

Metropolitan sessions judge Zahirul Haque on Thursday ordered his arrest, and asked police to submit a report on his arrest, in line with the warrant, on July 26.

Dhaka's Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court earlier on July 3 had issued arrest warrant for Tarique, also BNP's senior vice-chairman, and 17 others hours after submission of supplementary charge sheets in the case filed for the grisly grenade attack on an Awami League rally in Dhaka.

At least 24 people, including incumbent president Zillur Rahman 's wife Ivy Rahman, were killed and 73 injured in the attack.

Thirty people, including Tarique, were named in the supplementary charge-sheet, raising the number of charge-sheeted accused in the case to 52. Twenty-two people were earlier accused in the first charge-sheet submitted on June 22, 2008.

After the issuance of arrest warrants against the 18, six of them ? three former inspectors general of police and three former investigation officers of the case ?surrendered before the court and they were sent to jail.

Tarique, who faces 14 cases on charges of corruption and extortion, is currently under treatment in the UK for a broken back after being released on parole in 2008.

He is widely accused of running a government parallel to his mother's 2001-6 government from Khaleda's Hawa Bhaban political office in Gulshan.

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Tarique among 12 faces 2nd arrest warrant

A Dhaka court Thursday issued the second arrest warrant against BNP chief and opposition leader Begum Khaleda Zia's elder son Tarique Rahman along with 11 others on a different charge related to the 2004 grenade attack that saw 24 deaths, reports BSS.

Court officials said Metropolitan Sessions Judge Mohammad Zahurul Huq ordered Tarique Rahman, also BNP's senior vice-chairman, and 11 others be arrested under the Explosives Act.

The 11 others included former state minister for home Lutfozzaman Babar, Jamaat-e-Islami secretary general Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid, former premier Khaleda Zia's political secretary Harris Chowdhury and BNP lawmaker Kazi Shah Mofazzal Hossain Kaikobad.

Former intelligence and police officials who were served with the arrest warrant are former director of Forces Intelligence retired major general ATM Amin and former DGFI official sacked lieutenant colonel Saiful Islam Joarder, DMP's former deputy commissioners Obaidur Rahman, Khan Sayeed Hassan and transport business man Mohammad Hanif.

The rest were leaders and operatives of militant Harkat-ul- Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI) Omar Abu Humayra alias Mir Sahed Baba and Hafez Moulana Yahiya, Babu alias Ratul Babu and Mufti Abdul Hai.

The development came two weeks after Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Enamul Haque issued warrants ordering arrest of Tarique Rahman and 17 others on charges linked to murders in August 21, 2004 grenade attack on an Awami League rally targeting the then opposition leader and incumbent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Judge Huq issued the second warrant after scrutinising the case docket and other relevant documents and took the charges into cognisance against Tarique and other suspects.

Earlier CID formally accused Tarique Rahman and 29 others of carrying out the grenade attack after an "extended investigation" into the case while their re- investigations suggested that operatives of militant Harkatul Jihad al Islami (HuJI) carried out the attack which was backed by several stalwarts of the past BNP-led four-party coalition government and security as well as police officials.

Tarique, who is now in London on a government parole for treatment since 2008, is also an accused in several other criminal and graft cases pending for trial.

Officials said of the 30 suspects, 12 including Babar, Mujahid, Abdus Salam Pintu and the two ex-army generals were now in custody to stand the trial in person.

But several of the suspects including Haris Chowdhury, Kaikobad, Amin and three ex- police chiefs were shown "fugitives" along with several others while the CID filed a petition seeking to confiscate the property of the fugitives.

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Tarique case hearing on July 3

The hearing in a money laundering case filed against BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia's eldest son Tarique Rahman and his business friend Giasuddin Al Mamun will take place on July 3, Agriculture Minister Motia Chowdhury said, reports bdnews24.com.

Replying to a query by Netrakona-1 MP Mostaq Ahmed Ruhi Thursday, Motia said, "The date of hearing to take the case into cognisance has been fixed for July 3."

Motia, also the in-charge minister of the cabinet division, said that the Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) on January Oct 26, 2009 filed the case against BNP vice-chairman Tarique and his friend Mamun with the Cantonment Police Station in the city under Money Laundering Act on charges of siphoning off over Tk 204 million to Singapore between 2003 and 2007.

The Appellate Division on June 2 dismissed Tarique's review petition against the apex court's verdict over the money laundering case.

On Feb 9 this year, the apex court in a verdict ruled that the trial could proceed under the Money Laundering Prevention Act 2002, as the alleged offence took place after its enactment, not after the formulation of the 2009 act.

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