Former PM Khaleda Zia to appear in court to seek bail in graft cases Sunday

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia will step out of her office after three months to appear before a court for a hearing in graft cases on Sunday.

Several party sources confirmed that the BNP chief would appear before the court that had issued arrest warrants for her in the cases.
 
The party has also not called shutdown as it used to do on the days of hearings.
 
Leaders of ruling Awami League alleged Khaleda skipped hearings under the pretext of shutdowns. 
 
A BNP notice to the police said she would return to her home, not to the office, after the hearing.
 
Khaleda Zia has been staying in her office on Street-86 at Gulshan-2 since Jan 3 after police barred her from leaving it amidst tension over programmes to mark the first anniversary of the last general election on Jan 5.
 
BNP boycotted the election held under the supervision of the Awami League government.
 
Khaleda, after being barred from joining demonstration on Jan 5 again, had called an indefinite blockade on that day demanding snap polls under a ‘neutral’ caretaker body.
 
She did not leave the office even after police had lifted the barricade.
 
She mourned over the body of her younger son Arafat Rahman Coco at the office when it arrived from Malaysia on Jan 27.
  

She was also criticised for not paying respect to martyrs at Central Shaheed Minar and National Memorial on Feb 21 and Mar 26 respectively.

The court of Dhaka’s Third Special Judge Abu Ahmed Jamadar issued arrest warrants for Khaleda on Feb 25 after she had skipped several hearings in the Zia Charitable Trust and Zia Orphanage Trust graft cases.

Recordings of witnesses in the cases are scheduled for Sunday.

On Mar 4, the court set the date after scrapping the defence’s plea to withdraw the arrest warrants.

Khaleda Zia also appealed to the High Court to transfer the cases to another court.

The High Court is scheduled to hear the appeal this month.

Khaleda’s lawyer Sanaullah Mia said she would seek bail in the cases.

Sanaullah urged the government to arrange BNP chief’s security on her way to the court.

Earlier, he had expressed concern over the security of the former prime minister.

“She (Khaleda) is a law-abiding citizen. She wants to attend the hearings and she will. Much however depends on the current situation, especially her security is a major concern,” he had said.

Her adviser former Dhaka University vice chancellor Emajuddin Ahamed, after visiting her on Saturday night, also confirmed that she would appear before the court on Sunday.

He said he viewed the matter as a positive development.

“I think the situation is changing slowly. I hope all the problems will be solved peacefully,” he said.

Over 100 people were killed in violence during the blockade called by Khaleda. Most of them were burnt alive in petrol bomb attacks, targeting vehicles. 

Khaleda’s chief counsel Khandaker Mahbub Hossain on Thursday had set ‘assurance of security’ as a condition for her to appear before the court.

“We have said earlier that security concerns were responsible for her not going to court. The last time she went there her convoy was attacked,” he said while speaking to reporters.

The BNP headquarters at Naya Paltan was also opened after three months on Saturday as the party is joining the upcoming city corporation polls.

A significant number of BNP leaders are vying for the posts of mayors and councillors of the three city corporations in Dhaka and Chittagong.

The Bakshibazar area in Old Dhaka turned into a battlefield when the BNP chief went to the court last time in December.

BNP supporters clashed with police and pro-government activists that day.

The hearing in the graft cases will be held at the court set up at Alia Madrasa ground in the area.

Nearly 50 people including several leaders and activists, security personnel, and office staff members are staying with the former prime minister at her office.

BNP leaders indicated that she was not leaving the office fearing that she won’t be allowed to enter it again once she left it.

She made last public appearance at a press conference at the office on Mar 13.

Police started controlling access to the office from Feb 11. Power lines were cut once, and internet and telephone connections were also allegedly snapped for some time.