BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman was sentenced to nine years' imprisonment and his wife Zubaida Rahman was handed a three-year jail term in a corruption case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Md Asaduzzaman delivered the judgment on Wednesday.
A total of 43 witnesses out of 56 testified in the case.
On April 13, 2013, the court framed charges against the two fugitive accused as it scrapped a petition to allow them to appoint lawyers to defend them in absentia.
ACC on September 26, 2007, filed the case against Tarique Rahman, his wife Zubaida Rahman and mother-in-law Iqbal-Mand Banu for amassing illegal wealth of Tk 4.81 crore and concealing information about the asset.
The anti-graft body filed the charge-sheet in 2008. Zubaida in 2008 filed a petition with the High Court, pleading to quash the proceedings of the case. The High Court in the same year stayed the proceedings of the case, which was later upheld by the Appellate Division.
The High Court after holding final hearing on the matter, cancelled the plea of Zubaida on April 12, 2017. It had also asked her to appear before the trial court concerned within eight weeks. Zubaida later filed a leave to appeal petition against the High Court order.
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on April 13, 2022, scrapped Zubaida's leave to appeal petition and upheld the High Court order.
On November 1, 2022, the lower court concerned issued arrest warrants against the couple after accepting the charges pressed against them.
Later on February 6, 2023, the court issued a gazette asking the couple to appear before the court.
Bd-pratidin English/Golam Rosul
