‘Mourning’ Khaleda skips court hearing

A Dhaka court has deferred witness deposition in the graft cases against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia since she could not appear in the court as she is mourning the death of her youngest son.

Court Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 29 Jan 2015, 08:54 AM
Updated : 29 Jan 2015, 08:54 AM

The court of Dhaka’s Third Special Judge Abu Ahmed Jamadar on Wednesday set Feb 25 for the next hearing.

The Third Special Judge's Court of Dhaka is hearing the 'Zia Orphanage Trust' and the 'Zia Charitable Trust' graft cases at its makeshift premises set up at the Alia Madrasa grounds in the capital's Bakshibazar.

Wednesday had been scheduled for the witness deposition of the plaintiff.

Khaleda’s lawyers informed the court that she could not appear in the court as she was sick and was in a state of mourning over the death of her youngest son Arafat Rahman Coco.

Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) lawyer Mosharraf Hossain Kajal said the court adjourned the hearing and granted more time as defence pleaded. Prosecution did not oppose the plea.

Coco, who was convicted for smuggling money out of the country, died in Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur on Saturday due to cardiac failure.

His body was brought to Dhaka and buried on Tuesday.

BNP chief Khaleda Zia had also skipped the last hearing in the cases, on Jan 15. Her lawyer said she could not be there as she was ‘confined’ at her Gulshan office.

The court, then, rejected Khaleda Zia’s appeal for more time to appear for the hearing and ordered the recording of the plaintiff’s statement in her absence leading the defence council to show no confidence in the judge.