A Dhaka court on Sunday deferred until October 27 21 the hearing on charge framing against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and others in the Zia Charitable Trust and Zia Orphanage Trust graft cases.
Judge M Motahar Hossain of the Special Judge Court-3 passed the order when Khaleda’s lawyers Advocate Sanaullah Miah and Advocate Masud Ahmed Talukder filed separate time petitions mentioning that the BNP chief could not appear before the court on Sunday as she is busy due to ongoing parliament session.
On January 15, Metropolitan Senior Special Judges’ Mohammad Zahurul Haque took cognisance of the charges against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and three others in the Zia Charitable Trust graft case and sent the case document to the Special Judge Court-3 for trial.
Three other accused in the case are Khaleda’s former political secretary Harris Chowdhury, his former assistant personal secretary Ziaul Islam Munna, and Manirul Islam Khan, former personal secretary of mayor of undivided Dhaka City Corporation Sadeque Hossain Khoka.
Of the accused, Harris Chowdhury left the country in 2007 and has been staying abroad since then. He was mentioned in the charge sheet as an absconding accused. Ziaul and Monirul are now on bail.
On August 8, 2011, the ACC filed the case with Tejgaon Police Station accusing the four, including Khaleda, of abusing power in raising funds for the trust from unknown sources.
ACC deputy director Harunur Rashid, also investigation officer of the case, pressed charges against the accused on January 16, 2012.
A 42-katha land in the city’s Kakrail area had been bought from a person, Suraiya Khanam, in January 2005 at Tk 65.2 million. The ACC found that Tk 12.5 million of the total money was earned beyond the known sources of income of the Zia Charitable Trust.
On the other hand, the ACC filed the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case on July 3, 2008 with Ramna Police Station accusing Khaleda Zia, her son Tarique Rahman and four others of misappropriating over Tk 2.10 crore which came as grants from a foreign bank for the orphans.
On August 5, 2010, ACC deputy director Harunur Rashid submitted chargesheet in the case against six people, including BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.
The other accused of the case are-Mominur Rahman, nephew of Ziaur Rahman, Khaleda’s former principal secretary Dr Kamaluddin Siddique, and former BNP MP Kazi Salimul Haque and Sarfuddin Ahmed.
Tarique Rahman left the country for London for treatment after obtaining bail from the Supreme Court in 2008.
Source: UNB Connect
