A Dhaka court has acquitted BNP Standing Committee member and Prime Minister’s Political Adviser Mirza Abbas in all 15 corruption cases linked to the alleged irregular sale of 18 government-owned properties, bringing an end to a legal battle that has lasted nearly two decades. The verdict was delivered on Thursday by Judge Muhammad Kamrul Hasan Khan of Dhaka’s Special Judge Court-3. The cases were originally filed by Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on March 29, 2007, accusing Abbas and several others of causing an estimated Tk 1.276 billion (127.64 crore) loss to the state through the sale of abandoned government properties without proper tender procedures. Prosecutors alleged that the properties, located in prime areas including Gulshan, Dhanmondi and Shantinagar, were sold through manipulated bidding processes that favored selected individuals. The allegations also claimed that Abbas, then State Minister for Housing and Public Works, abused his authority by approving the sales despite higher bids being available and bypassing standard valuation procedures. Alongside Abbas, a number of other prominent figures were named in the cases, including current Finance Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury and business leader Ahmed Akbar Sobhan. The court acquitted all accused after reviewing evidence and hearing testimony from 23 witnesses during the trial. The ruling closes one of the longest-running corruption cases involving a senior BNP leader, ending a legal process that began nearly 19 years ago during Bangladesh’s anti-corruption drive of the mid-2000s.