Online Desk: Four new prosecution witnesses (PWs) on Wednesday testified in a graft case against BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman and his wife Zubaida Rahman. The four witnesses were– Tax Commissioner Nafiz Ahmed Akhter of Tax Zone-6, chief assistant Mostafizur Rahman, deputy tax commissioner Mohidul Islam and National Bank Limited officer Qazi Moinuddin Chishtia.

After their depositions, Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Md Asaduzzaman adjourned the hearing till Thursday. Twenty-four witnesses out of total 56 have, so far, testified in the case. Anti-Corruption Commission (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 assets.

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 Zubaid 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. On February 6, 2023, the court issued a gazette asking the couple to appear before the court.