July 18, 2008	Friday	Rajab 14, 1429

DHAKA, July 17: Arafat Rahman, the ailing youngest son of former Prime Minister and chairperson of Bangladesh Nationalist Party Begum Khaleda Zia, was released from prison on Thursday for two months.

Arafat left the prison cell of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital in the evening in an ambulance for his Dhaka Cantonment residence. Accompanied by a physician of the hospital, Arafat was fitted with an oxygen mask in the ambulance.

The military-backed caretaker government of Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed arrested Arafat as a corruption suspect on September 3, 2007. Later he was charged with ‘taking kickbacks’ and ‘amassing illegal wealth’.

However, an official handout says that the government has granted Arafat temporary and conditional release for two months from July 17 to enable him to receive better medical treatment abroad. Earlier, the trial court exempted him from making personal appearance during the court proceedings.

Arafat is likely to be taken to Bangkok for treatment in a couple of days, his family sources say.The conditions attached to Arafat’s temporary release say that he or his relatives accompanying him abroad will inform the Bangladesh mission about his health condition every three days, that he would not be involved in politics or business, that he will not communicate with any person or organisation that he will inform the government immediately after his treatment is over.