When Tarique Rahman-the Crime Prince of Dhaka, Became a Threat to the US

Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s (BNP) Senior Vice Chairman, Tarique Rahman, is currently living in exile in London for the past 14 years.

Before that, Tarique had a princely appearance in the country's national politics. During the BNP rule in 2001-2006, Tarique’s mother, Khaleda Zia, was Bangladesh's Prime Minister. It was an open secret that Tarique had a considerable influence over her mother, and he took de facto decisions.

However, Tarique did not use his influence and powerful position for the betterment of the country; instead used those to maximize his gains. During that five years, Tarique emerged as the ‘Crime Prince of Dhaka’ for his notorious political corruption and Criminal activities. Tarique and his cronies bend the institutions and the laws for personal gain and set no limit. His meeting place, Hawa Bhaban, also became the talk of the country from where he and his cronies operated. Tarique’s notoriety even crossed the country's boundary as the US also identified Tarique as a threat to the US national interest, according to a WikiLeaks cable.

The Crime Prince of Dhaka

During the BNP rule from 2001 to 2006, Tarique had a princely appearance within the country. He spent his time with the young political leaders and was popular among BNP's student wing, Chatradal. Soon, he found group cronies consisting of his friends, businessmen, and ambitious leaders who would go to any length to expand their influence. Together, they transformed Hawa Bhaban into their operating hub for illegal activities.

Soon, Tarique and his cronies engaged in Money Laundering, Tender handling, and commission business. Among the cases, Tarique and his friend Giasuddin Mamun took part in the notorious Harbin Money Laundering case. Later, both friends were found guilty before the court and sentenced.

Tarique also got into the Niko graft case, where Tarique and other BNP leaders took bribes from Niko- a Canadian company. Apart from these cases, Tarique is under trial in many corruption cases, including the Zia Orphanage Trust case, the GATCO corruption case, the Barapukuria Corruption case, and Zia Charitable Trust Case.

Apart from Political corruption, Tarique also got himself into many criminal activities. He was the mastermind behind the 21^th August Grenade attack. Tarique and other perpetrators collaborated with the banned Terrorist Organization, Harakatul Jihad (HuJi-B), and launched a grenade attack on the then opposition party, Awami League. The primary objective was to kill the current Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina. Later, the court found Tarique guilty and gave life term.

During the BNP rule, Tarique was a fearsome extortionist for many businessmen. Tarique and friends used to extort businessmen of the country. During the caretaker era in 2007, Tarique was formally charged with an extortion case as the allegation was that he squeezed a construction company. He also took a bribe from Bashundhara Group to cover up Dr. Kabir murder case, where in return for the bribe, Shafiat Sobhan Sanvir- the owner's son, did not have to face the charge of the murder. The victim- Dr. Humayun Kabir, was a director of Bashundhara Group.

Thus by using the influence and political power, Tarique Rahman and his cronies used the state apparatus for their gains and established a kleptocracy centering on Hawa Bhaban. Their reckless quest for wealth and power led them to the ashtray, and they got their name involved in corruption, extortions, embezzlement, evasions, bribery, terrorism, murder, and many more. And Tarique, with the help of his cronies, became the 'Crime Prince of Dhaka'.

However, his reign was short-lived as he had to flee to London to avoid the consequences of his crime in 2008. Later, he was found guilty in many cases, and others are still ongoing. Currently, he is a fugitive. Technically, he also lost the legitimacy for his membership in BNP due to Article 7 of the party's constitution, according to which a convicted person can't be a member of BNP. But the party tried to cancel the article in favor of him, but later due to writ petition and complications, the issue remains unsolved.

However, Tarique’s notoriety reached beyond the boundary as, in 2008, the US Ambassador to Dhaka, James Moriarty, identified Tarique as a threat to the US interest.

Crime Prince and the Enemy of the US

WikiLeaks leaked a cable that revealed that on 3^rd November 2008, Ambassador Moriarty sent a report to Washington identifying Tarique as a threat to the US interest. According to the cable, Moriarty and his mission in Dhaka believed that Tarique Rahman was guilty of egregious political corruption that seriously impacted the US national interest.

The report confirmed Tarique’s participation in corruption and crimes mentioned above, including the Harbin case, Dr. Kabir case, Extortion from a Construction Company, embezzlements, and laundering. The report also tied Tarique with the Siemens commission case. It was under FBI investigation at that time. According to the report, Tarique and his younger brother Koko received a bribe from Siemens in which they took two percent from all Siemens sell in Bangladesh.

The report also mentioned that Tarique had illicit wealth worth hundreds of millions of dollars and labeled Tarique as the ‘Symbol of Kleptocracy’. The embassy also believed that Tarique had multiple passports through which he applied to countries for asylum.

Moriarty's report identified Tarique’s rampant corruption, and bribery seriously hampered the US mission's goal. Many US companies failed to flourish due to a lack of competitive market in Bangladesh, as other companies bribed Tarique and enjoyed a monopoly.

Tarique’s corruption had a far more severe adverse impact on the mission's goal. It undermined the US mission’s goal of upholding the rule of law, stable democracy and promoting development in Bangladesh.

It seems Moriarty sent the report when Tarique Rahman was seeking asylum in many countries. At that time, Tarique was in the UK with his other passport. Moriarty opined under section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act to suspend his entry to the US. Thus, rampant corruption, cronies, and a reckless quest for wealth and power made Tarique not only a crime prince in Dhaka but also a threat to the US.

Written by Asrita Kulkarni, a London based Researcher focusing on South Asian Politics

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