HC changes judge for trial of Khaleda case again

The High Court has accepted a petition by BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia to change judges in a graft case involving Zia Charity Trust.

Justice Enayetur Rahim and Justice Shahidul Karim passed the order on Wednesday.

The Zia Charity Trust case, filed seven years ago by the Anti-Corruption Commission or ACC was being tried before the court of Dhaka-3 Special Judge Abu Ahmed Jamadar and was awaiting the BNP chairperson’s testimony.

The trial was being held at a temporary judge’s court in Old Dhaka’s Bakshibazar.

Now, at the order of the High Court, it will be tried before the court of Dhaka-5 Special Judge Dr Md Akhtaruzzaman.

The ACC case against Khaleda over Zia Orphanage Trust had also been pending with Judge Abu Ahmed Jamadar, but the case was transferred to the court of Dhaka Senior Special Judge Quamrul Hossain Mollah at the request of the defendant.

Khaleda filed another petition for a transfer, questioning the judge’s impartiality due to his prior position at the ACC. The petition was approved but a new judge has yet to be appointed to the case.

After the transfer was approved, Khaleda’s lawyers filed a petition to stay the Welfare Trust graft case on May 13.

With the petition dismissed on May 15, the BNP chairperson’s team filed another petition to transfer the case away from the court of judge Jamadar.

The petition was heard and granted by the High Courton Wednesday.

AJ Mohammad Ali and Zakir Hossain Bhuiyan represented Khaleda Zia at the hearing on Wednesday. Khurshid Alam Khan was the representative from the ACC.

“One of the cases had been transferred away from this court previously due to lack of confidence,” Zakir Hossain Bhuiyan told the media after the hearing.

“We said that (the Zia Charity Trust graft case) could not be tried here for similar reasons. The court accepted our argument.”