Khaleda case deposition deferred

A Dhaka court has again deferred the recording of testimony in the ‘Zia Orphanage Trust’ and ‘Zia Charitable Trust’ graft cases against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.

The deposition was to take place in a makeshift court at the Alia Madrasa in old Dhaka on Wednesday.

Special Judge-3 Basudeb Roy set July 27 as the new date after the defence sought more time.

File Photo

The new date was allowed as a petition challenging the legality of Judge Roy’s appointment was awaiting hearing in the Appellate Division on July 23.

The hearing to record testimonies in the two graft cases had been deferred for the third time, a court official said.

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

The chief justice then referred the matter to a third bench.

Khaleda on May 12 challenged the legality of 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.

After a two-day hearing, 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 former prime minister had moved High Court, challenging the indictment but the court dismissed her plea.

The Anti-Corruption Commission in 2008 filed a case against six, including Khaleda and her son Tarique Rahman, for allegedly embezzling Tk 21 million from ‘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.