Ex-JaPa MP Ovi acquitted in Tinni murder case

Former Jatiya Party leader and also a Parliament Member Golam Faruq Ovi has been acquitted in the 2002 murder case of model Syeda Tania Mahbub Tinni.

Dhaka's Second Additional District and Sessions Judge Mosammat Shahinur Akter passed the order on Tuesday.

The judge stated that out of a total of 41 witnesses, only 26 provided testimony. The prosecution also failed to prove the charges against the accused.

As a result, Golam Faruq Ovi was acquitted of all charges, she added.

State counsel Syed Md Abu Zafar Rizvi expressed dissatisfaction with the verdict and said a decision on whether to appeal would be made after reviewing the full judgment.

Golam Faruq Ovi, who remains absconding, was represented by state-appointed lawyer Shah Ilyas Ratan, who expressed satisfaction with the court's decision.

The case began after Tinni's body was discovered on the night of November 10, 2002, near the 11th pillar of the 1st China Friendship Bridge on the Buriganga River in Keraniganj.

The following day, then-assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of Keraniganj police station, Md Safi Uddin, filed a case against unidentified individuals.

The investigation was later handed over to the CID on November 24, 2002.

From the beginning of the case, Ovi remained in hiding.

The court framed charges against him on July 14, 2010.