Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said they are trying to get the British government extradite BNP leader Tarique Rahman from London to face justice in Bangladesh.
Now heading the BNP from exile, Tarique is convicted of money laundering and corruption in two separate cases.
He is also being tried in many other cases, including one on charges of attempted assassination of AL leader Hasina.
After delivering the keynote at a programme in London’s Queen Elizabeth Centre on Tuesday, the prime minister took questions from journalists.
Asked whether her government took any initiative to bring Tarique back, she said the UK should have faced the question instead.
“UK is a free country, anybody can take shelter and refuge…that’s true. Tarique committed crimes and he is convicted,” Hasina said.
“And I don’t understand why UK sheltered a convicted person,” the prime minister added.
“So it will be better if you ask this question to the UK people and the government."
The prime minister also said her government was “definitely eager” to take Tarique back.
“He should face the court,” she said.
“Well, we are talking to the British government about it and definitely one day we will take him back,” she added.
BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique, residing in London for a decade now, is standing in for his mother Khaleda Zia who was jailed for five years for corruption on Feb 8, reports bdnews24.
He has also been sentenced to 10 years in prison in the same case. He had earlier got a prison term of seven years for laundering money.