The Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge’s Court on Wednesday jailed main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party acting chairperson Tarique Rahman and his wife Zubaida Rahman for amassing illegal wealth and concealing information of wealth.

Judge Md Asaduzzaman pronounced the verdict jailing Tarique Rahman for nine years and Zubaida for three years in their absence.

The court also fined Tarique Rahman Tk 3 crore, in default to suffer six months in jail, and Zubaida Tk 35 lakh, in default to suffer one more month in jail.

The court also confiscated Tk 2,74,93,787, the amount the couple concealed in their wealth statement.

The couple was tried in their absence in the case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission during the military-controlled interim government in 2007.

Meanwhile, pro-BNP lawyers staged demonstrations on the court premises since morning denouncing the trial of the case. They feared that Tarique and Zubaida might be sentenced ‘in accordance with government blueprint’.

Additional police forces were deployed on the court premises to avoid any untoward incident.

On July 27, the court completed trial of the couple in absentia and set Wednesday for pronouncement of the verdict.

Tarique, who was earlier sentenced for varying terms in four other cases, and Zubaida, however, had no opportunity to defend themselves by engaging lawyers as they have been staying abroad since 2008 and was tried in their absence.

During charge framing, the court on April 13, 2013 scrapped a plea to allow the couple to appoint lawyers to defend them in their absence.

On June 26, 2022, the High Court declared Tarique and Zubaida ‘fugitives’ and rejected their writ petitions challenging the filing of the case. The HC also withdrew the stay order on the case.

On September 26, 2007, the commission filed a case against Tarique, Zubaida and her mother Iqbal-Mand Banu on charges of amassing illegal wealth of Tk 4.81 crore and concealing information about the asset.

After investigation, police submitted a charge sheet against the three on March 31, 2009. The proceedings against Zubaida’s mother were, however, cancelled due to her death.

Earlier, Tarique Rahman was sentenced to different terms of imprisonment in four cases. Several other cases are also pending against the BNP leader.

On November 17, 2013, the Dhaka Special Judges Court-3 acquitted Tarique of charge of laundering Tk 20.41 crore in a case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission. High Court, however, on July 21, 2016, jailed him for seven years following a government appeal.

On February 8, 2018, a Dhaka special Judges court jailed Tarique for 10 years imprisonment in the Zia Orphanage Trust case. Khaleda was jailed for five years in the case.

On October 10, 2018, a Dhaka speedy trial tribunal sentenced Tarique Rahman to life imprisonment in a case filed for the grenade attack on an Awami League rally in Dhaka on August 21, 2004.

On February 4, 2021, a Narail court sentenced Tarique to a two-year imprisonment in a case filed over defaming the country’s founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 2014.