DHAKA, Nov 17: A Bangladesh court on Sunday acquitted the influential son of the main opposition leader in a money-laundering case, boosting his chances of returning to the country after more than five years in exile.

Tarique Rahman, the eldest son and designated successor of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, would have faced seven years in jail and a ban from contesting elections had he been found guilty.

Tarique has been living in London since September 2008 after he was forced into exile by the-then army-backed government. He still faces a number of other court cases.

Hundreds of lawyers belonging to the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) burst into loud cheers and shouted slogans as Judge Mohammad Motahar Hossain delivered the verdict in a packed Dhaka courtroom amid intense security.

“The prosecution could not prove the charges against Tarique Rahman beyond reasonable doubt,” Judge Hossain told the court.—AFP