Khaleda summoned by court

A Dhaka court has rescheduled the hearing on two corruption cases against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia on Sep 3 and asked her to present in person on that date.

Dhaka Third Metropolitan Sessions Judge Basudeb Roy gave the order on Sunday.

The court was scheduled to hear witness testimony on Zia Charitable Trust and Zia Orphanage Trust corruption cases, but Khaleda’s lawyers asked for rescheduling the hearing as there were two appeals pending at the Supreme Court.

The court then rescheduled the hearing and asked Khaleda to appear in person or submit the verdicts of the two appeals at the next hearing.

Khaleda, on May 12, challenged the legality of the appointment of Judge Basudeb Roy, who indicted her in the ‘Zia Orphanage Trust’ and ‘Zia Charitable Trust’ graft cases on Mar 19.

She also sought a stay on the case proceedings.

File Photo

On May 25, an HC bench of Justices Farah Mahbub and Kazi Md Ejarul Haque Akondo delivered a split verdict on the plea regarding the legality of the judge’s appointment.

Earlier the former prime minister had moved High Court challenging the indictment but it dismissed her plea.

Justice Farah Mahbub issued a ruling and ordered a freeze on the proceedings of the cases, while Justice Kazi Md Ejarul Haque Akondo wanted to scrap the petitions.

As per rule, the matter was forwarded to the chief justice who assigned Justice Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque’s bench to hear the pleas.

The bench also dismissed the pleas on June 19.

Khaleda then filed two pleas to the Appellate Division against the dismissal.

The Anti-Corruption Commission in 2008 filed a case against six, including Khaleda and her son Tarique Rahman, for allegedly siphoning off Tk 21 million from the ‘Zia Orphanage Trust’ funds, which reportedly came from a foreign bank.

Charges were pressed against them two years later.

In 2011, the ACC accused the BNP chief and three others of misappropriating Tk 31.5 million from the ‘Zia Charitable Trust’.

The national anti-graft agency prosecuted the four in a charge-sheet in 2012.