A court here on Thursday again deferred until February 25 the recording of statements by prosecution witnesses against BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia and eight others in the Zia Charitable Trust and Zia Orphanage Trust graft cases.
Judge Abu Ahmed Jamaddar of the Special Judge Court-3 of Dhaka passed the order following a time petition filed by Khaleda’s lawyers.
The petition mentioned that the BNP chief could not appear before the court during the hearing for lack of security amid the non-stop countrywide blockade and as she is now grieving the loss of her son Arafat Rahman Koko.
Koko died in Malaysia on January 24 at the age of 45.
ACC chief prosecutor Mosharraf Hossain Kajal did not oppose the time petition considering the mental state of the BNP leader.
Earlier on January 15, the same court deferred the hearing in the two graft cases until Thursday following a petition that stated that the BNP chief could not appear before the court due to her ‘confinement’ to her Gulshan office by police.
On August 8, 2011, the Anti Corruption Commission filed the Zia Charitable Trust graft case with Tejgaon Police Station accusing four people, including Khaleda Zia, of abusing power in raising funds for the trust from unknown sources.
The investigation officer of the case, ACC deputy director Harunur Rashid, pressed charges against the accused on January 16, 2012.
The ACC filed the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case on July 3, 2008 with Ramna Police Station accusing Khaleda Zia, her eldest son Tarique Rahman, now living in the UK, and four others for misappropriating over Tk 2.10 crore which came as grants from a foreign bank for orphans.
On August 5, 2010, ACC deputy director Harunur Rashid submitted a charge-sheet to the court in the case against six people, including BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia.
Source: UNB
