Order on Khaleda’s bail after getting case records: HC

The High Court (HC) today concluded hearing on the bail petition filed by BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case in which she was convicted and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment.

The court will deliver its order on the petition after it receives the case records from the lower court, the HC bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Shahidul Karim said.

The bench on February 22 ordered the lower court to send the case records to this bench in 15 days.

Nearly 300-400 BNP leaders and activists gathered in front of the court room as the court earlier set today for hearing the bail petition today.

On Thursday, Khaleda filed an appeal with the High Court challenging the special court's verdict that sentenced her to five years' imprisonment in graft case and also seek bail in the case.

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Khaleda's appeal accepted by HC

On February 8, Special Judge's Court-5 of Dhaka sentenced Khaleda to five years' rigorous imprisonment after it had found her and five others guilty in the graft case.

The court also sentenced Khaleda's elder son Tarique Rahman, now the acting chairman of BNP, and four others to 10 years' rigorous imprisonment each, and fined them a total of Tk 2.10 crore, saying that all the six convicts have to pay the fine in equal amounts.

The Anti-Corruption Commission had filed the case with Ramna Police Station in July 2008, accusing the six of misappropriating over Tk 2.1 crore that came from a foreign bank as grants for orphans.

Khaleda’s bail extended in Zia Charitable Trust graft case

A Dhaka court today extended the bail of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia until tomorrow in Zia Charitable Trust corruption case.

Judge MD Akhteruzzaman of the Special Judge Court-5 passed the order after Khaleda’s lawyer Barrister Moudud Ahmed submitted a petition seeking an extension of her bail.

The same court on February 1 gave Khaleda ad-interim bail till today and asked her to appear before it the same day.

Since she was earlier convicted in Zia Orphanage Trust graft case and now in jail, she could not appear before it today.

On the other hand, Public Prosecutor Mosharraf Hossain Kajol moved a petition for issuing production warrant against Khaleda Zia.

If the court passed the production warrant and the jail authorities produce her before it tomorrow, Khaleda can seek bail in the case, Kajol said. 

But the court is yet to give any order in this regard.

The anti-graft body filed the Zia charitable corruption case in August 2011 with Tejgaon Police Station accusing four persons including Khaleda of abusing power to raise funds for the trust from unknown sources.

The three other accused are: Harris Chowdhury, political secretary of the then prime minister Khaleda between 2001 and 2006; Ziaul Islam Munna, assistant private secretary (APS) to Harris; and Monirul Islam Khan, APS of former Dhaka city mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka.