The High Court yesterday rejected a writ petition filed by BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia seeking cancellation of the Zia Charitable Trust graft case against her. The HC bench comprising Justice Md Ruhul Quddus and Justice Mahmudul Haque came up with the order stating that the petition was not submitted properly before the court. Following the rejection of the writ, there no remains no legal bar for the lower court to run the trial proceedings against Khaleda Zia, Advocate Khurshid Alam Khan, counsel for the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) told reporters after the HC order. On March 9, the BNP chief filed the petition with the High Court challenging the legality of the appointment of the investigation officer Harunur Rashid in the Zia Charitable Trust graft case.
The petition mentioned that Harunur Rashid, deputy director of Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), was appointed on August 18 in 2011 as the investigation officer (IO) of the Zia Charitable Trust graft case without the government issuing any gazette notification of his appointment. As per section 20 (2) of the Anti-Corruption Act, 2004, his appointment was not legal, the petition added. The trial is being held at the court of Dhaka’s Third Special Judge Abu Ahmed Jamadar, which has completed the witness depositions. The cross-examination of the last witness is in progress now. The ACC on August 8, 2011 filed the Zia charitable trust graft case against Khaleda and three others on charge of embezzling Tk 31.5 million by abusing power in setting up the charity. The three other accused are Harris Chowdhury, Khaleda’s former political secretary, Ziaul Islam Munna, assistant private secretary (APS) of Harris, and Monirul Islam Khan, APS of former Dhaka City Corporation Mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka. Following the indictment in the case in March 2014, the former premier moved to the High Court challenging its validity and legality of appointment of the judge framing the charges.  However, both the pleas were scrapped by the court.