Khaleda graft case
Trust funds came from Kuwait emir, says defence
A Dhaka court yesterday fixed January 10 and 11 for next hearing in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case against BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia. Advocate AJ Mohammad Ali, counsel for Khaleda Zia, told the court that the Emir of Kuwait had given the money for the Zia Orphanage Trust as donation to preserve the memory the late president Ziaur Rahman, The money didnt come from Saudi Arabia. It was given by the head of state of Kuwait for the Zia Orphanage Trust as donation, he said after providing some documents, which were collected from Kuwait embassy, before the Dhaka Court.
During the arguments, Ali also told the court that the government had filed the case against the BNP chief on the basis of baseless and fabricated documents. Kheldas counsel said that he had written to the Emir of Kuwait on August 11 in 2015 to find out the purpose of sending the money for the Zia Orphanage Trust.
In reply, the Emir said that he had given the money for the Zia Orphanage Trust only to preserve the memory of Ziaur Rahman, he added.
Ali also claimed that the documents of the case had been prepared with fabricated information, as the investigation could not prove where the money was distributed.
No witness could even show that Khaleda Zia had signed any paper, he added. After yesterdays hearing, Judge Md Akhtaruzzaman of the makeshift court on the Alia Madrasa premises in Bakshibazar fixed January 10 and January 11 for the next hearing in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case.
On July 3, 2008, the Anti-Corruption Commission had filed the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case with Ramna police station, accusing Khaleda Zia, her eldest son Tarique Rahman, and four others for misappropriating over Tk. 2.10 crore that had come as grants for orphans from a foreign bank.
According to the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case, Khaleda, then prime minister, and the other accused had embezzled over Tk. 2.10 crore by establishing the trust that exists only on paper. The complainant alleged that on June 9, 1991, a grant of USD 1255,000, equivalent of nearly Tk. 4.45 crore at the time, was transferred from United Saudi Commercial Bank to Prime Ministers Orphanage Funda fund that was created by Khaleda Zia shortly before the transfer of the grant as part of the embezzlement scheme. Only Khaleda administered the fund.
On August 8, 2011, the ACC had filed the Zia Charitable Trust graft case with Tejgaon police station, accusing four people, including Khaleda Zia, of abuse of power in raising funds for the trust from unknown sources.
