HC clears way for Zubaida to move appeal against her sentence in graft case

The High Court today cleared the way for Zubaida Rahman, wife of BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, to move an appeal before the court challenging a lower court verdict that sentenced her to three years in prison in a graft case.

The HC bench of Justice Md Khasruzzaman condoned her (Zubaida) 587 days' delay for filing the appeal in the case.

According to the law, an appeal is supposed to be filed with the HC within 30 days after the trial court delivers judgement in any criminal case.

The bench passed the order following a petition filed by Zubaida, who returned to Bangladesh on May 6 after 17 years from London, seeking condonation of her delay in filing the appeal.

Zubaida's lawyer Barrister Kayser Kamal told reporters that an appeal will be moved before the HC soon on behalf of his client challenging the trial court verdict.

A group of lawyers Zainul Abedin, SM Shahjahan, AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon, Kayser and Maksud Ullah appeared for Zubaida while lawyer Ashif Hasan stood for the ACC.

On August 2, 2023, a Dhaka court sentenced Tarique to nine years' imprisonment and his wife Zubaida to three years jail sentence in the corruption case.

Tarique was also fined Tk 3 crore, in default of which he will have to serve three months more in jail.

The court fined Zubaida Tk 35 lakh.

If she fails to pay the money, she will have to serve one more month in prison, the trial court said in the verdict.

On September 26, 2007, the ACC filed the case with Kafrul Police Station against the two and Zubaida's mother Syeda Iqbal Mand Banu, on charges of amassing assets worth Tk 4.82 crore through "illegal" means and concealing the information of Tk 2.16 crore in their wealth statements.

After a probe, the investigation officer pressed charges against the three on March 31, 2009.