Court to decide whether to continue Khaleda’s trial in her absence on Sept 20

A Dhaka court will decide on Sept 20 whether it will try BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in the Zia Charitable Trust case at the prison in her absence.

Anti-Corruption Commission lawyers filed a petition to continue the trial proceedings in the absence of the suspect under section 540 ‘A’ of the Penal Code. The judge heard the petition and then set Sept 20 for his decision.

Dhaka Special Judge Md Akhtaruzzaman also instructed steps be taken according to the prison regulations regarding her lawyers’ petition to visit her in jail and check on her medical condition.

Khaleda was represented by Masud Ahmed Talukdar and Sanaullah Mia at the hearing.

Advocate Aminul Islam represented suspect Ziaul Islam Manna and layer Md Akhtaruzzaman represented suspect Monirul Islam Khan.

Mosharraf Hossain Kajol represented the ACC.

Khaleda Zia has been imprisoned since Feb 8 after she received a five-year sentence over the Zia Orphanage Trust case.

She has not appeared in court for the past seven months due to an ‘illness’. The government instructed a temporary court to be set up at the prison in Old Dhaka where Khaleda is incarcerated to continue the trial there.

On Sept 5, the first day of proceedings at the temporary court premises, Khaleda said that she could not come to court so many times and that the judge can sentence her to as long a prison term as he likes.

“The prosecution says that she [Khaleda Zia] said that she cannot come to court,” Judge Akhtaruzzaman said on Wednesday, the date of the next scheduled hearing. “This means that she does not wish to.

The court then set Sept 20 to decide whether to continue with the trial in her absence.