A court here today exempted eight people, including
BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, from extortion charges accepting a final
report filed by the police in the case.

Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sanaullah passed the order
this morning.

The seven other people, who have been relieved of the charges, are- Gias
Uddin Al Mamun, Obaidullah Khandaker, Kamruzzaman, Engineer Mahbubul Alam,
Engineer AKM Shoyeb Bashuri, Azizul Karim Tarek and Monijur Rahman alias
Manik.

Investigation officer detective branch inspector Md Sazzad Hossain filed the
final report with the general registration wing of the Dhaka Chief
Metropolitan Magistrate court on November 5, pleading to relieve the eight
people of the charges as it did not find the allegations brought against them
true.

On May 7, 2009, the complaint filed an affidavit through a notary public,
saying the allegations brought against the accused were false and that he
filed the complaint under the pressure of vested quarters. He doesn’t want to
pursue the case anymore, the complainant said.

During the investigation, the complainant also told the investigation officer
that he didn’t even know the accused and was forced to file the fabricated
allegations under political and administrative pressure.

Contractor farm Abdul Monem Limited general manager Khairul Bashar had filed
the case in 2007 for demanding Taka 10.31 crore in extortion.

-BSS.