Khaleda wants indictment scrapped

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has moved the High Court for scrapping the indictment order in two cases of corruption.

An HC bench of Justices Borhanuddin and KM Kamrul Kader is expected to hear her petition on Wednesday.

On Mar 19, Dhaka’s Special Judge Basudev Roy indicted Khaleda Zia in the Zia Orphanage Trust and Zia Charitable Trust graft cases.

In 2008, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case against six including Khaleda and her son Tarique Rahman accusing them of pocketing Tk 21 million from funds meant for the trust, which reportedly came from a foreign bank.

In 2011, the ACC sued the BNP chief and three others for pocketing Tk 31.5 million of the Zia Charitable Trust.

The ‘review’ petition was filed on grounds the charges were not framed ‘properly’.

The petition sought a rule on why the order framing the charges should not be revoked.

It also sought a stay order on the framing of charges while the rule is pending trial.

The defence also requested the HC to examine the records for assessing the justification of their petitions.

Khaleda’s lawyer Mahbub Uddin Khokon said the former prime minister had , like anyone else, has invoked the provision in the Penal Code to seek relief from prosecution in these cases.

He alleged Khaleda’s indictment order was issued without holding a hearing on the plea.

Khokon claimed Khaleda was not asked whether she was guilty.

The judge informed her of the indictment order through his assistant.

“Such indictment is in violation of Section 242 of the penal code,” he claimed.

He said Khaleda’s signature was not found in any of the confiscated documents in the orphanage trust case.

She should not have been accused in this case, Khokon argued.

About the Zia Charitable Trust corruption case, he said the government does not have any money in the organisation.

“It is thus clearly beyond the jurisdiction of the Anti Corruption Commission,” the defence counsel claimed.

Only the deputy commissioner can seek prosecution against a tax-evader for deliberate fudging on land purchase deals, he said.