Khaleda summoned again

A Dhaka court yesterday again summoned former premier Khaleda Zia and four others to appear before it on September 7 in connection with a case of embezzling Tk 2.10 crore through forming fraudulent Zia Orphanage Trust.
The court will give its decision on the same day whether the charges would be taken into cognisance in presence of the accused.
Judge ANM Bashir Ullah of Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court fixed the date after defence lawyers for Khaleda Zia and her son Tarique Rahman had submitted petitions seeking adjournment of the hearing on acceptance of the charges.
The lawyers told the court BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia did not appear before it yesterday on security grounds while Tarique earlier went to London for treatment with due permission from Supreme Court.
The lawyers appealed to the court to fix the new date before Khaleda leaves Dhaka on September 9 or 10 for Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah.
Among the charge-sheeted accused, former BNP lawmaker Kazi Salimul Haque and Sharfuddin Ahmed were present in the court yesterday while Khaleda's nephew Mominur Rahman and former principal secretary Kamal Uddin Siddiqui have been absconding.
After the hearing, the judge set the date saying the trial proceedings against Tarique would be continued in his absence.
On August 5, Deputy Assistant Director of Anti-Corruption Commission Harunur Rashid, also the investigation officer of the case, submitted the charge sheet.
According to the case statement, then prime minister Khaleda Zia and the other accused embezzled over Tk 2.10 crore by establishing Zia Orphanage Trust that exists only on paper.
The complainant alleged that on June 9, 1991, a grant of $1,255,000, equivalent to about Tk 4.45 crore at the time, was transferred from United Saudi Commercial Bank to prime minister's orphanage fund--a fund that was created by the then premier shortly before the transfer--as part of the embezzlement scheme.