Zia Orphanage Trust graft case

Political plot to implicate Khaleda, says lawyer

BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia’s defence lawyer yesterday questioned the justification to implicate her in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case. “The late foreign minister Mustafizur Rahman had collected the money from Kuwait and it was deposited with the Zia Memorial Trust. But no case was filed in connection with the Zia Memorial Trust,” Advocate Mahbub Hossain told the special judge’s court at Bakshibazar in Old Dhaka.
“Why is this double standard on the same issue?” he said. Placing his arguments in court, the lawyer claimed that the investigating officer, Haroonur Rashid, was directed to submit the charge-sheet in a way that would implicate the former premier. “The process of filing the case was politically motivated,” Hossain told special judge DR Akhteruzzaman. He argued that there was no evidence of embezzlement of money from the Zia Orphanage Trust. “Khaleda Zia didn't open any bank account. Why should she be punished,” he said.
The defence lawyer also said the prosecution had presented fabricated documents without any signature. “The documents were visibly manipulated,” he added. Hossain also questioned the motive behind filing the case against “the most popular leader of the country 17 years later”. He expressed hope that the court would do justice to Khaleda. “There are still many judges who dispense justice on the basis of evidence, defying threats from influential quarters,” he said. The court fixed January 3 and 4 for the defence team to place its next arguments.
The BNP chief had arrived in the court for the hearing into the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case around 11.36 am.

Zia Orphanage Trust graft case

Political plot to implicate Khaleda, says lawyer

BNP chairperson Khaleda Zias defence lawyer yesterday questioned the justification to implicate her in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case. The late foreign minister Mustafizur Rahman had collected the money from Kuwait and it was deposited with the Zia Memorial Trust. But no case was filed in connection with the Zia Memorial Trust, Advocate Mahbub Hossain told the special judges court at Bakshibazar in Old Dhaka. Why is this double standard on the same issue? he said. Placing his arguments in court, the lawyer claimed that the investigating officer, Haroonur Rashid, was directed to submit the charge-sheet in a way that would implicate the former premier. The process of filing the case was politically motivated, Hossain told special judge DR Akhteruzzaman. He argued that there was no evidence of embezzlement of money from the Zia Orphanage Trust. Khaleda Zia didnt open any bank account. Why should she be punished, he said. The defence lawyer also said the prosecution had presented fabricated documents without any signature. The documents were visibly manipulated, he added. Hossain also questioned the motive behind filing the case against the most popular leader of the country 17 years later. He expressed hope that the court would do justice to Khaleda. There are still many judges who dispense justice on the basis of evidence, defying threats from influential quarters, he said. The court fixed January 3 and 4 for the defence team to place its next arguments. The BNP chief had arrived in the court for the hearing into the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case around 11.36 am.