Graft case: SC asks lower court to allow Khaleda to cross examine prosecution witnesses

The High Court today asked the trial court to allow BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia to cross examine four prosecution witnesses of Zia Charitable Trust graft case.

The HC bench of Justice Md Shawkat Hossain and Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder came up with the order following a petition filed by Khaleda Zia.

On June 21, the BNP chief sought a High Court order upon the trial court allowing her lawyers to cross-examine five prosecution witnesses of the case.

She also made the prayer by filing a revision petition with the HC. In the petition, she sought a stay on the trial proceedings against her in the corruption case.

Citing the petition, Advocate Zakir Hossain Bhuiyan, a lawyer for Khaleda, told The Daily Star that the defence lawyers could not cross-examine five prosecution witnesses during the trial of the graft case.

The five prosecution witnesses need to be cross examined for fair trial of the case, he said, adding that a Dhaka court on June 8 rejected a petition seeking permission for cross examining the five prosecution witnesses.

The revision petition was been filed with the HC challenging the Dhaka court's June 8 rejection order.

On August 8 in 2011, the Anti-Corruption Commission filed the Zia Charitable Trust graft case with Tejgaon Police Station accusing four people, including Khaleda, of raising funds for the trust from unknown sources abusing power.

According to the charge sheet of the case, Khaleda and three others abused power to collect Tk 6.19 crore for Zia Charitable Trust during the BNP-led government's tenure between 1991 and 1996.