Khaleda to appear in court today
BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia is to appear in a court today in connection with the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). A Dhaka Court had earlier warned that Khaleda Zias bail would be revoked if she failed to show up this time.
Talking to The Independent, advocate Sanaullah Miah, lawyer of Khaleda Zia, confirmed Khaleda Zias scheduled court appearance today. On January 26, the special judge court-3 at Bakshibazar fixed January 30 as the date of hearing and asked the BNP chairperson to appear before it. If she failed to do so, her bail would be cancelled, the court warned.
The ACC had filed the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case on July 3, 2008, with Ramna police station, accusing Khaleda Zia, her eldest son Tarique Rahman and four others for allegedly misappropriating over Tk. 2.10 lakh that was received as grants for orphans from a foreign bank.
Meanwhile, a Dhaka court yesterday deferred the date of hearing on the framing of charges against 38 BNP leaders and activists, including Khaleda Zia, in a case filed under the Special Power Act.
After the hearing, Dhaka metropolitan sessions judge Ruhul Amin fixed April 27 for the next hearing on the framing of charges against the accused.
Earlier, defence counsel Advocate Sanaullah Miah had submitted a petition, seeking time on the ground of her clients illness as Khaleda Zia was not present in the hearing for health reasons. The court granted the request and fixed the new date.
Assistant public prosecutor Shahabuddin Miah said the date for the framing of charge has so far been deferred for four times.
The court also granted bail to BNP activist Shakil Parvez, who was being held in jail for about a year. On January 23, 2015, unidentified miscreants had hurled a petrol bomb on a passenger bus of Glory Paribahan in the citys Jatrabari area. Twenty-nine passengers sustained burns. Nur Alam, among them, died while undergoing treatment at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
