Bangladesh turns down appeal to let Khaleda Zia go abroad for treatment

The Bangladesh government has refused to allow BNP chief Khaleda Zia to fly abroad for medical treatment.

Law Minister Anisul Huq says that the temporary release granted to Khaleda during the suspension of her sentence under Section 401 of the Code of Criminal Procedure means that there is no scope for her to go abroad.

“We cannot approve the application by Khaleda Zia’s brother Shameem Iskander to take her abroad,” said Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan after receiving the legal opinion from the law minister.

The government spent four days scrutinising Iskander’s application and completing several official procedures before formally rejecting it. Khaleda's family has yet to comment on the government's decision.

The 76-year-old former prime minister has been undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital in the capital since Apr 27, after she tested positive for the coronavirus on Apr 11. She has underlying health conditions.

On May 3, she was transferred to the Coronary Care Unit after she had complained of breathing distress.

Later, her family appealed to the government to let her get treatment abroad following the advice of doctors.

Khaleda tested negative for COVID-19 on Sunday, according to Dr Muhammad Al Mamun, a member of the medical panel treating the BNP chief.

She had served 25 months out of 17 years of prison sentences in two corruption cases, involving the Zia Orphanage Trust and Zia Charitable Trust.

Khaleda had been living in her Gulshan residence since the government granted her a suspended sentence in March 2020.

The government imposed two conditions on the suspended sentence: Khaleda will not be able to travel abroad and she must receive treatment at home.