Lawyers for BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia yesterday started to place their closing arguments in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case. During the opening argument, Advocate Abdur Rezak Khan, counsel for the BNP chief, cited some “defective” points in statements of some witnesses produced by the prosecution.

After completion of Rezak Khan’s argument, Advocate Khandaker Mahbub Hossain, Advocate AJ Mohammad Ali and Barrister Jamiruddin Sircar are also set to place their argument in the case.

Judge Md Akhtaruzzaman of the Dhaka Special Court-5 yesterday heard the defence submission for more than three hours and fixed today (Thursday) for the next hearing.

The court is likely to fix a date for verdict when the closing argument is concluded.

Earlier in the day, Khaleda appeared before the makeshift court at Bakshibazar, submitted a bail plea and sought time for placing her self-defence in the charitable trust graft case.

The court extended her ad-interim bail and the time for placing her self-defence statement till today.

In July 2008, Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case with Ramna Police Station, accusing Khaleda, her eldest son Tarique Rahman, and four others of misappropriating over Tk 2.10 crore that had come as grants from a foreign bank for orphans. Three years later, the ACC filed the Zia Charitable Trust graft case with Tejgaon Police Station, accusing four people, including Khaleda, of abusing power to raise funds for the trust from unknown sources.