HC accepts Khaleda Zia’s bail petition

The High Court yesterday accepted a bail petition for hearing from BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, in the Zia Charitable Trust corruption case -- in which she has been sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment by a lower court.

The HC bench of Justice Farid Ahmed and Justice ASM Abdul Mobin, however, did not set any date for hearing the bail petition.

The bench is expected to hold hearing on the bail petition any day this week, Barrister Kayser Kamal, a lawyer for Khaleda, told The Daily Star.

Earlier in the day, Khaleda’s lawyers Advocate Zainul Abedin, Barrister AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon and Barrister Kayser Kamal placed the bail petition before the HC bench.

Khaleda on September 3 submitted the petition to the HC seeking bail for the second time in the Zia Charitable Trust corruption case, saying that she is seriously ill and is now hospitalised, as she has been suffering from various health complications.

In the bail petition, Khaleda also urged the HC to consider her bail on some other grounds -- including that she is a 74-year-old woman and the chief of BNP -- the largest political party; she was a three-time prime minister; and also the jail sentence handed down by the trial court is short.

The Anti-Corruption Commission filed the case with Tejgaon Police Station on August 8, 2011. On October 29 last year, a special court in Dhaka convicted Khaleda in the case and sentenced her to seven years’ imprisonment in her absence.