Court to determine Khaleda’s future in election, says EC

It is for the court to decide whether BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia will be able to run in the upcoming parliamentary polls, the Election Commission has said.

A question on the issue came from the media during a briefing by EC Secretary Helal Uddin on Wednesday, after a meeting between a European Parliament delegation and Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda in his offices in Dhaka.

“One of the members of the delegation also asked about it. It’s a matter to be determined by the court. The EC has nothing to do with it,” Helal Uddin said.

Khaleda, a three-time prime minister, is serving a five-year jail term in a 10-year-old case that involves the embezzlement of foreign funds meant for orphans.

A two-year prison term for a criminal conviction disqualifies an individual from running in the parliamentary election.

However, a stay order on the trial court’s verdict, granted by the High Court, may open a window for Khaleda.

The BNP has been claiming that the corruption charges against the party chief are politically motivated attempts to shut Khaleda out of the election due in December.