Khaleda’s plea to re-investigate Zia Orphanage graft case rejected

The Supreme Court today upheld a High Court order that rejected a petition filed by BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia seeking its order for re-investigation into a portion of Zia Orphanage Graft case against her.

A four-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha passed the order after hearing a leave to appeal filed by Khaleda challenging the High Court order.

Anti-Corruption Commission’s lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan told The Daily Star that there is no legal bar for the lower court concerned to continue the trial proceedings of the case against the former prime minister.

READ MORE: HC rejects Khaleda fresh probe plea

The High Court on March 9 rejected Khaleda’s petition seeking its order for a fresh probe into a portion of Zia Orphanage corruption case against her. Khaleda filed the petition with the High Court on March 1.

In the petition, she requested the High Court to stay the trial proceedings of the case and to issue a rule asking the authorities concerned to explain why the lower court's rejection order should not be declared illegal.

The ACC filed the case on July 3, 2008 accusing Khaleda, her elder son Tarique Rahman and four others for misappropriating over Tk 2.10 crore that was received as grants for orphans via a foreign bank.