HC allows Khaleda to proceed with appeal, sets bail hearing for Sunday

The High Court has allowed BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia to challenge the trial court's verdict in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case.

Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Shahidul Karim made the decision on Thursday, staying the fines ordered in the special court’s verdict.

The High Court also started hearing the BNP chief’s bail petition, but later set Sunday as the next date to hear it again following the Anti-Corruption Commission’s petition.

The case documents have to be sent from the trial court to the High Court within 15 days, according to the order.

A special judge’s court sentenced the former prime minister to five years in prison over the graft on Feb 8.

Khaleda’s son and BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman and four others received 10 years in prison. All six convicts were also fined Tk 21 million each.

Her lawyers challenged the verdict on Tuesday after receiving the 1,126-page copy of the verdict.

In the verdict, the judge said Khaleda and the others accused in the case committed ‘state financial crime’ by embezzling money from government fund for orphans in collusion.

The lawyers sought her acquittal, showing 44 arguments in the 1,223-page petition to contest the judgment. The petition includes the verdict.

The bail petition is of 880 pages, including 48 that contain 31 arguments.

Among the counsels for the BNP chief, Zainul Abedin, AJ Mohammad Ali, Kaisar Kamal, Raghib Rauf Chowdhury, and Sagir Hossain Leon were present in court at the hearing.

Some BNP leaders, including Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, were also present in the court.

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam and Deputy Attorney General Farhad Ahmed stood for the State.

Though the court ordered the lawyers for Khaleda to provide copies of their petitions to the State and ACC on Tuesday, Kaisar handed the copies on Thursday.

When the hearing started at 10:30am, Deputy Attorney General Farhad said they needed more time for the hearing as they received the copies of the petitions a short time ago.

The State sought until 2pm but the court gave them until 12pm.

Seeing most of the lawyers of the two sides in the courtroom around 11:30am, a judge asked whether the hearing could start at the time.

The lawyers for the petitioner then sought some more time as some of their senior colleagues were yet to show up.

A hullabaloo started due to the presence of a huge number of pro-BNP lawyers as the court was waiting for the hearing to start. The senior lawyers struggled to take their seats.

The court then ordered limiting the number of lawyers in the courtroom and the hearing on the acceptance of Khaleda’s petition challenging the verdict started at 12pm.