On March 19, Dhaka Third Special Judge’s Court passed the indictment order against the former prime minister
The High Court has rejected the petitions filed by the BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia to annul a lower court order indicting her in two corruption cases.
The High Court bench comprising Justice Borhanuddin and KM Quamrul Kader has passed the order.
On March 19, Judge Basudev Roy of the Dhaka Third Special Judge’s Court passed the indictment order against the former prime minister.
On April 13, two petitions were filed by Khaleda Zia to scrap the lower court order indicting her in Zia Charitable Trust and Zia Charitable Trust graft cases.
After completing the hearing on the pleas on Sunday, the bench set Wednesday to give its order on the petitions.
Six people, including Khaleda and her elder son, Tarique Rahman, have been indicted in the Zia Orphanage Trust case for embezzling over Tk2.1 crore by establishing a “fake” trust in 1991.
The lower court also indicted four people, including the BNP chief, in the Zia Charitable Trust case for raising funds by abusing the power of the Prime Minister’s Office during Khaleda’s 2001-2006 tenure.
Zia Orphanage Trust case
The ACC filed the graft case on July 3, 2008 with Ramna police station accusing Khaleda, her son Tarique and four others for embezzling over Tk2.1 crore by forming the “fake” trust in 1991. The money came as grants from a foreign bank for the orphans.
On August 5, 2010, ACC Deputy Director Harunur Rashid submitted the charge sheet and named 37 witnesses in the case.
According to the case statement, the accused embezzled the money by establishing Zia Orphanage Trust that “exists only on paper.”
Zia Charitable Trust case
On August 8, 2011, the ACC filed the case with Tejgaon police station accusing four of abusing power in raising funds for the trust from unknown sources.
ACC official Harunur, also investigation officer of the case, pressed the charges on January 16, 2012. He showed 37 people as prosecution witnesses in the case.
According to the charge sheet, money for setting up the trust was collected from different sources, using the influence of the Prime Minister’s Office during the 2001-06 tenure of the BNP-led government.
Source: Dhaka Tribune
