B'desh formally seeks extradition of Zia's son from UK

Bangladesh has formally asked Britain to extradite ex-premier Khaleda Zia's "fugitive" elder son as he is wanted by courts here on charges of graft and a deadly grenade attack on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Zia's 45-year-old son Tarique Rahman has been living in London since 2008 in self-imposed exile as he faces corruption and criminal cases back home. He is reportedly studying law there besides carrying out political activities from the UK.

"We have sent yesterday a formal letter through our Foreign Ministry to the UK's National Central Bureau requesting his (Rahman's) extradition in line with a warrant issued by the court," a senior Home Ministry official told PTI.

He said the letter was issued following a court directive to bring him to justice, especially for money laundering charges.

A Dhaka court earlier declared him a "fugitive" as he failed to appear before the court despite repeated summons.

Officials said this was the second such letter after June when Bangladesh High Commission in London handed over a memo along with a copy of the court's arrest warrant to the British authorities seeking Rahman's return.

Home Minister Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir earlier said that the government sought to return Rahman also through the Interpol as "it is a constitutional obligation on our part to follow the court orders".

Rahman allegedly masterminded a fatal grenade attack in 2004 on a rally of the then opposition, killing 24 people. Incumbent Prime Minister Hasina narrowly escaped the attack but sustained permanent hearing impairment.

Dhaka's request came amid an intensified political deadlock pitting the ruling Awami League and BNP with fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami being its crucial ally over the electoral system while the election is due ahead of January 25, 2014.

The British High Commission officials here were unavailable for comments immediately and it is unclear if Rahman sought asylum in the UK while the British authorities earlier declined to make any public statement on the issue, calling it a "personal matter of an individual".

A Dhaka court on May 26 issued a warrant ordering Rahman's appearance to face trial on graft charges brought by Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) during the 2006-2008 emergency rules under an army-backed interim government when he was also put behind the bars.

A detained Rahman was allowed to take an overseas tour for medical treatment under a Supreme Court order at the fag end of the military-backed regime but he preferred to stay back in London as the subsequent general elections installed the ruling Awami League to power with three-fourths majority. 
Rahman apparently maintained a low profile in exile but in recent months, he was back in news joining a BNP meeting in East London recently demanding installation of a non-party interim government for election oversight and urging expatriate Bangladeshis to mount pressures on the government on the issue.

But analysts and diplomatic sources earlier said Rahman's repatriation issue could take a longer period for disposal as it would require the involvement and clearance of the British home office and court.

"The repatriation could be uncertain if the person concerned is exposed to death penalty at home," a diplomatic source earlier told PTI preferring anonymity.

Rahman's younger brother, also a fugitive, Arafat Rahman Koko is currently living in Bangkok apparently to evade justice for siphoning off a huge amount of money during the 2001-2007 BNP rule.

The World Bank recently released a publication mentioning the alleged embezzlement of several million dollars by Koko as "an example of stealing national assets".

BNP has consistently been alleging that Zia's sons were being victimised for political vengeance while the issue appeared as a crucial factor ahead of the next year's general elections.