The High Court (HC) yesterday fixed July 3 for hearing on the appeal filed by BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia against the trial court verdict that sentenced her to five-year imprisonment in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case. It also directed the authorities concerned to provide the paper book related to the case to Khaleda Zia's lawyer within the next 24 hours.

An HC bench, comprising Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman, fixed the date following a prayer made by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) for quick hearing on the appeal.

On Sunday, ACC lawyer advocate Khurshid Alam Khan filed a petition before the HC bench for fixing a date for hearing on the appeal so that the court could dispose of it in line with the directive of the apex court.

Earlier, On February 8, the special judge’s court-5 of Dhaka had convicted and sentenced Khaleda to five years’ imprisonment in the corruption case. The court had also sentenced Khaleda’s eldest son,  Tarique Rahman, and four others to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment and fined them Tk 2.10 crore each.

On February 20, Khaleda Zia filed an appeal with the HC challenging the trial court verdict on her. In the appeal, the BNP chief prayed to the HC to acquit her of the corruption charge and to scrap the lower court verdict, stay her conviction and suspend the five-year prison sentence.   

On March 13, the HC granted Khaleda bail for four months in the case.

On May 16, a four-member bench of the Appellate Division, led by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain, upheld the HC order that had granted bail to Khaleda Zia. The apex court also directed the HC bench, led by Justice Enayetur Rahim, to hear and dispose of the appeal of the BNP chief by July 31.