Dhaka, Jan. 11 -- A court has acquitted senior BNP leader Ruhul Quddus Talukder Dulu in a tax evasion case filed more than 15 years ago.

The verdict was delivered on Sunday by Judge Rabiul Alam of Dhaka's Fourth Special Judge's Court.

Dulu, a former state minister for land and a former central organising secretary of the BNP, was present when the ruling was announced.

The case was filed in August 2008 by an assistant tax commissioner of the National Board of Revenue (NBR), accusing Dulu of evading income tax and providing false information about his earnings and expenditure.

His lawyer Borhan Uddin said the case had been politically motivated and intended to harass him.

"Four witnesses from the NBR testified in this case. After exami...