Order on petition seeking verdict date Sept 30
A Dhaka court yesterday fixed September 30 for passing an order on the prosecution petition filed for setting a date to deliver the verdict in Zia Charitable Trust graft case.
Judge Md Akhtaruzzaman of Special Judge Court-5 of Dhaka passed the order following a petition filed by Anti-Corruption Commission's Prosecutor Mosharraf Hossain Kajol, saying that defence lawyers did not assist the court with the trial proceedings.
In the petition, the prosecutor prayed to the court to close the arguments and set a date for delivering the verdict.
“We do not want to waste any more time,” said Prosecutor Mosharraf Hossain, adding, “Defence lawyers, by not placing arguments, did not cooperate.”
He also prayed to the court to cancel the bails of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and Monirul Islam Khan in the case.
The same court also extended Khaleda's bail until September 30 after her lawyer Masud Ahmed Talukder submitted two petitions, one for extension of bail and the other seeking adjournment of arguments in the case.
“We have always been assisting the court in running the trial. It is rather the prosecution, who has been blaming us for non-cooperation. Moreover, they [the prosecution] were talking more about politics than trial," said Masud while moving the two petitions.
The BNP chief has been unwell and there was no scope for hearing the arguments if she was not produced before the court, said the lawyer. They would challenge an order passed on September 20 for running the trial in Khaleda's absence, he added.
According to the petitions, defence lawyers sought adjournment of hearing as their senior lawyer Advocate Abdur Rezak Khan was ill and he would place arguments after recovery.
Earlier on September 20, the same court decided to run the trial against Khaleda Zia in her absence.
Comments