Denouncing yesterday's verdict on Senior Vice-chairman Tarique Rahman in a money laundering case, the BNP said the judgment was nothing but a political vengeance.

The Special Judge's Court-3 earlier acquitted Tarique of the charges since there was no evidence and no witness to testify against him, party leaders said.

Meanwhile, Law Minister Anisul Huq said that through the HC judgment handing Tarique seven-year-imprisonment and fine, it was proved that the lower court's verdict was not right.

The BNP leader had influenced the judge of the special court to get the acquittal order. The judge left the country with his family members and went to Malaysia a few days after he delivered the verdict in the corruption case on November 17, 2013.

The government issued a notice asking him to join work but he didn't.

Regarding the filing of an appeal against the HC verdict, the minister said the BNP leader would have to surrender to appeal against the conviction.

"He must surrender before the lower court before filing an appeal," Anisul Huq said.

Tarique will be arrested and brought back to the country with the help of Interpol to execute the HC verdict, he added.

“There is no extradition treaty between the United Kingdom and Bangladesh. So, the Bangladesh government will try to bring him [Tarique] back through Interpol.” 

Talking to The Daily Star, several BNP leaders yesterday said they had predicted that such verdict would be passed on Tarique who was considered the next BNP chairperson after Khaleda.

However, some party leaders said the verdict might blemish the image of the party at home and abroad. 

BNP leaders said they will face the case politically and legally.    

"We think that it [HC verdict] is part of the government's conspiracy to derail BNP's ongoing movement to form national unity against militancy. But we will not step into that trap. The BNP chief will go ahead with the move," said a senior leader very close to Khaleda.

Protesting and condemning the role of the government and the Anti-Corruption Commission, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said in London that on instructions from the government, the ACC had appealed in the High Court against the acquittal order of Tarique.

“We think it [Tarique's punishment] is part of the government's blue print to destroy Zia family and the nationalist forces,” said Rizvi Ahmed, senior joint secretary general of the party, at a press briefing at the BNP's Nayapaltan headquarters.

The BNP chief yesterday night sat with party leaders at her political office in Gulshan to discuss the verdict and other recent issues. 

POLICE DETAINED 13 BNP MEN

Meanwhile, the police detained 13 leaders and activists of the BNP near the party's Nayapaltan central office in the capital yesterday morning.

Morshed Alam, officer-in-charge of Paltan Police Station, said the detainees included party's assistant office secretary Taiful Islam.

They were detained before the HC delivered the verdict on an appeal against the acquittal order.

Meanwhile, Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal yesterday in a press statement announced that it would enforce a strike at all educational institutions across the country on Sunday in protest at the High Court verdict against Tarique Rahman.

BNP'S DEMONSTRATION

The BNP will hold a countrywide demonstration to protest the “government's conspiracy” to keep Tarique away from politics. However, the party is yet to fix the date.

The decision was made at a meeting between BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and the party's senior leaders at her Gulshan office in the capital last night.

 The party is likely to announce its programmes at a press briefing at the party's Nayapaltan central office around 11:00am today, said meeting sources.