Know how much is the wealth of the next Prime Minister of Bangladesh; How many corruption allegations have been made?

Returning to politics after almost 17 years, Khaleda Zia’s son Tariq Rahman has given a clear majority to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in the parliamentary elections. With the party crossing the figure of 151 seats, the chances of Tariq Rahman becoming the next Prime Minister of Bangladesh have become stronger. With this victory, discussion has intensified in public and political circles regarding his assets, income and election expenses.

Tariq Rahman, 60, is the son of former Bangladesh President Ziaur Rahman and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. He has won both the seats of Dhaka-17 and Bogura-6 by huge margins. This is considered to be his biggest political comeback so far after being in exile in London for a long time.

According to the affidavit filed with the Election Commission, Tariq Rehman has declared his annual income as Taka 6.76 lakh (approximately Rs 5 lakh). This income is said to be income from shares, bonds and fixed deposits. His total bank deposits are around Taka 1.23 crore (about Rs 92 lakh), of which around Taka 31.6 lakh are kept in cash or savings accounts. The remaining amount is in fixed deposits, including some said to be in accounts linked to his daughter.

In the matter of movable property he has given very limited details. According to the affidavit, he has furniture worth less than Tk 2 lakh and gold worth only Tk 2,950. The immovable property includes more than two acres of land in Bogura district besides inherited land in Ghazipur and Cox’s Bazar.

Tariq Rehman’s wife Dr. Zubaida Rehman’s declared income and wealth is much more than him. According to him, Zubaida’s annual income is around 35.6 lakh taka (about Rs 26.7 lakh). He has about 1 crore taka deposited in his bank account, of which 66.5 lakh taka are in savings accounts. She also owns jointly owned land and an 800 sq ft duplex house. Tariq has paid around Taka 1 lakh tax, while his wife Zubaida has paid around Taka 5.6 lakh tax.

The affidavit also revealed that Tariq Rehman spent around Tk 30 lakh for campaigning on just one seat, which reportedly came from bank deposits and agricultural income. However, the election expenditure being much higher than the declared annual income has raised questions among political analysts.

Let us tell you that Tariq Rehman’s name has been linked to many corruption cases in the past. In 2023, a Dhaka court sentenced him to nine years in prison in a corruption case dating back to 2007 and alleged that he earned illegal income of more than Taka 4.82 crore and hid assets worth Taka 4.23 crore. In another case, allegations of money laundering were also made regarding an amount of Taka 20.41 crore sent to Singapore. However, after recent political changes in Bangladesh, the Supreme Court acquitted him of all 77 cases.

Supporters say these cases were all part of political vendetta, while critics say questions remain over income, assets and political funding.

After the victory of BNP, Tariq Rahman has come to the center of Bangladesh politics. As his role as a potential prime minister grows stronger, public scrutiny over his wealth and transparency is also likely to increase.

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