High Court grants Khaleda’s plea to change trial court of Zia Orphanage Trust graft case

The High Court has granted BNP chief Khaleda Zia’s petition to change the trial court for the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case, which cited lack of confidence in the judge.

The Zia Orphanage Trust and Zia Charitable Trust graft cases are being tried in the court of Dhaka's Third Special Judge Abu Ahmed Jamadar.

On Wednesday, the bench of justices M Enayetur Rahim and Shahidul Karim ordered the trial to be transferred to the court of Dhaka's senior special judge.

It also instructed the senior special judge to finish the proceedings by 60 days.

The Anti Corruption Commission filed the Orphanage Trust graft case in 2008 during emergency regime of the military-backed caretaker government.

It accuses the former prime minister and five others, including her son Tarique Rahman of embezzling Tk 21 million from funds meant for the trust, which reportedly came from a foreign bank.

The trial started in March 2014 after the court of the then Dhaka's Third Special Judge Basudeb Roy indicted them.

In 2014, Roy was replaced by law ministry Joint Secretary Abu Ahmed Jamadar.

The BNP, which had reservations on Roy, had then questioned the government's move.

The court is now hearing Khaleda's statement defending herself over the charges levelled by the ACC.

Of the other defendants, former MP Kazi Salimul Haque Kamal and businessman Sharfuddin Ahmed are out on bail while on Jan 26, a warrant was issued for Tarique, who has been in the UK for the last nine years and has warrants on him in several others cases.

The two others accused in the case -- former principal secretary to the PM Kamal Uddin Siddique and one Maminur Rahman, nephew of BNP founder Ziaur Rahman, are absconding.

On Feb 2, the court rejected Khaleda's petition for fresh probe into the allegations and asked whether she would give her defence statement.

"I won't say anything in defence because I am not given time and my lawyers do not have confidence in the judge. So I also don't have confidence in the judge," she replied.

On Feb 16, she filed a petition with the High Court seeking to change the trial court citing her lack of confidence on the judge, which was granted on Wednesday.

In her petition, Khaleda accused Judge Jamadar of scheduling hearings hurriedly, sometimes even twice a week, which is not the case in her other trials.