A Dhaka court has denied bail to Shahreen Islam Chowdhury Tuhin, the cousin of BNP’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman, in two separate cases filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) for tax evasion and illegal accumulation of wealth. Despite appeals from his legal team citing his heart condition and other health complications, the court ordered that he be transported to jail in an ambulance and granted medical attention as per prison regulations.

On Tuesday, April 29, Tuhin appeared in court accompanied by a large group of party supporters. His lawyer, Syed Zainul Abedin Mezbah, initially submitted a bail petition in the tax evasion case to Dhaka’s Special Judge Court-9, presided over by Kabir Uddin Pramanik. The judge rejected the petition and ordered him into custody. Later, he filed another bail plea in the illegal wealth case at Dhaka’s Special Judge Court-7 under Judge Pradip Kumar Roy, which was also denied.

Tuhin’s lawyers requested that he be allowed division facilities in prison and receive appropriate medical care, citing his chronic illnesses. The court granted this under existing prison regulations.

According to case records, the ACC filed the two cases against Tuhin in 2007 at Gulshan Police Station. In 2008, he was sentenced to a total of eight years in the tax evasion case—three years under one section and five under another, to be served concurrently, making five years the effective term. In the same year, he received a separate 10-year sentence for the illegal wealth case.

After remaining out of court proceedings for 17 years, Tuhin finally surrendered and sought bail, which was summarily rejected, leading to his imprisonment.