After the political shift on August 5 that has worked in his favour, BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman is steadily being acquitted in multiple cases, clearing the path for his return to Bangladesh after spending 17 years in exile in London.
The party's leaders and activists are running campaigns on social media with posts such as "The leader is coming."
Senior party leaders are also claiming that Tarique Rahman will return home soon.
But, party sources have indicated that he may not return home until several crucial issues are settled.
According to leaders close to Tarique, the party's senior leader may return early next year, provided all legal, political, and geopolitical obstacles are cleared by then.
They said BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir travelled to London on Saturday as Tarique Rahman wanted to have an in-depth discussion about the possibilities and challenges surrounding his return to Bangladesh.
Tarique may also assign Fakhrul with certain responsibilities to address geopolitical and diplomatic challenges in securing his safe return.
The August 21 case had been one of the biggest obstacles to his homecoming, but on Sunday, he was acquitted in the two cases filed in connection with the incident.
Tarique’s lawyer and BNP’s Legal Affairs Secretary, Barrister Kaiser Kamal said a total of 80 to 82 cases were filed against Tarique while he has been convicted in five cases.
Of them, he was acquitted in just one case -- the August 21 grenade attack case--while the remaining four, including the Zia Orphanage Trust cases, a defamation, a corruption and money laundering case in which he was initially acquitted by the lower court.
Since August 5, Kaiser said a total of 39 cases against Tarique have been canceled or dismissed or acquitted.
The lawyer said no case filed against Tarique has so far been withdrawn.
“The allegations in these cases are based on falsehoods and fabricated stories. We are tackling all of them through legal channels. He (Tarique) wants to settle all the cases through the court. He will return home in due course,” he said.
Tarique Rahman urges unity to end political vengeance
Another counsel for Tarique, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they hoped the cases against the BNP acting chairman will be settled legally by January next year as they are getting cooperation from the judiciary.
On November 11, the Supreme Court stayed the High Court's verdict in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case and allowed Khaleda to file two appeals challenging the HC ruling. “We hoped get verdict in the case soon. The other cases will also be settled gradually.”
Senior lawyer and former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, Zainul Abedin, said Tarique Rahman has great respect for the law and wishes to resolve his cases through legal means.
“We have initiated the legal process to clear him of the false charges. We are hopeful that we will be able to achieve this soon and obtain justice from the courts,” he said.
In response to a question, Abedin said Tarique Rahman would decide when to return home once the legal barriers have been removed.
BNP Standing committee member Mirza Abbas described the High Court verdict in the August 21 grenade attack cases as 'good news of justice' in the month of victory.
He said thousands of party leaders and workers are expecting 'justice' in the all cases filed against them during the Awami League government’s tenure.
Abbas said Tarique Rahman would soon return to Bangladesh in good health. “That is why Allah has healed him, kept him healthy, and acquitted him."
Tarique Rahman was arrested on 7 March 2007 during the drive against politicians by the army-backed caretaker government. He was granted bail and released from jail on 3 September 2008 after falling seriously ill, reportedly due to mistreatment during his remand.
On 11 September 2008, Tarique travelled to London for medical treatment, and since then, he has been living in exile in the UK with his wife Zubaida Rahman and daughter Zaima Rahman.
He has been serving as the Acting Chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) since his mother and party chairperson, Khaleda Zia, was imprisoned in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case on 8 February 2018.