After eight-year legal battle, Asif Akbar acquitted in liquor case

After an eight-year-long legal battle, singer Asif Akbar has been acquitted in a case filed over the alleged possession of foreign liquor. Reacting to the verdict, the singer said the allegation was “built on falsehood” and that he felt satisfied to have finally received justice.

On Monday, Judge Ayesha Akter Moushumi of the Second Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court in Dhaka acquitted Asif Akbar in the case. The singer was present in court when the verdict was delivered. Defence lawyer Pradip Kumar Debnath confirmed the matter.

Reacting after receiving the verdict, Asif Akbar said, “Alhamdulillah, the allegation was based on a falsehood. The sequence of this case began during the month of Ramadan, and I also received the verdict in Ramadan. I am satisfied and happy. I have been regularly attending court for the past eight years. I did not try to exert any influence, nor did I want to turn it into a political issue. I only sought justice. I tried to fight the case. I fought my previous cases as well, and that is why I have been acquitted.”

He further added, “I am the son of a lawyer. Since childhood, I have had respect for the rules and procedures of the court. That is why I never spoke much about these matters publicly. For the past eight years, my family, my fans, and the people of the country who love me have been in distress. Today, with the court’s verdict, I have been freed, and this brings great joy for me and my family.”

According to the case statement, law enforcement officials claimed to have recovered four bottles of foreign liquor from Asif Akbar’s office in the capital on June 6, 2018. Later, on July 23, 2019, Prashanta Kumar Sikdar, a sub-inspector of the CID’s Cyber Investigation Unit, filed a case at Tejgaon Police Station, accusing the singer of possessing liquor without a licence.

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Following an investigation, the charge sheet was submitted on October 13 of that year. On November 25, 2024, the court framed charges and ordered the trial to begin. After recording testimonies from three witnesses, the court delivered its verdict on Monday, acquitting the singer and bringing the prolonged legal proceedings to an end.