Dhaka: Bangladesh's powerful anti-graft panel has filed the first chargesheet against former premier Khaleda Zia's elder son Tarique Rahman, over a year after he was arrested for allegedly amassing wealth illegally and concealing information about his assets.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has also charged Tarique's wife Zobaida Rahman and mother-in-law Syeda Iqbalmand Banu with assisting him in committing the offences.

According to the charge sheet, Tarique, 47,had concealed wealth worth about Tk 2.17 crore (Rs 1.26 crore) in his statement submitted to the ACC, and also amassed about Tk 2.75 crore beyond his known source of income.

The ACC also sought arrest warrants for Tarique's wife and mother-in-law. The magistrate, however, did not pass any order in this regard.

This is the first charge sheet filed against Tarique, who faces about a dozen corruption and criminal cases. Security forces arrested Tarique on March 7 last year after an extortion case was filed against him by a businessman. He has since been lodged in Dhaka Central Jail.

Zia was also arrested in September by the military- backed interim government under its anti-corruption drive in the emergency-ruled country which has seen nearly 90 high-profile personalities, mostly politicians, being sentenced or detained since last year.

A former lawmaker of Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party and the son of another top leader were sentenced to 13 years or more in jail in different cases yesterday.

Finance Minister M Saifur Rahman's elder son Naser Rahnman, a former MP, was awarded 13 years imprisonment by a Dhaka court on charges of amassing illegal wealth.

Another court sentenced Zia loyalist Khandaker Delwar Hossain s son Akhter Hamid Paban to 17 years in jail on charges of possessing illegal arms and ammunition.
Source : PTI