Bangladesh court quashes convictions for grenade attack on ex-PM

Author: Agencies

A top Bangladeshi politician accused of masterminding a deadly 2004 grenade attack against ex-premier Sheikh Hasina had his conviction quashed Sunday, another step in his expected return from London exile. Tarique Rahman, the son of two-time premier Khaleda Zia and de facto leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) was convicted in absentia for the attack on a political rally called by Hasina. But the High Court in Dhaka ruled that the guilty verdict against him and 48 others was illegal as the trial court did not properly follow procedure. The BNP has consistently denied involvement in the attack and accused Hasina’s government of political interference in the trial to persecute her opponents. “The state presented 225 witnesses, none of whom testified to seeing any of the accused hurl grenades or participate in conspiracy meetings,” lead defence lawyer S.M. Shahjahan told reporters after Sunday’s verdict.

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