A Dhaka court has deferred recording testimonies of plaintiffs in the graft cases against BNP chief Khaleda Zia.
The court of Dhaka Third Metropolitan Special Judge Basudeb Roy has set Oct 26 to record testimonies after the former prime minister’s counsels sought more time on Monday.
It instructed Khaleda to appear before the court on Oct 26, when the court will hear the testimonies of the plaintiff Harun Or Rashid, a deputy director of the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC).
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Khaleda’s lawyers told the court that the BNP chairperson could not appear before the court due to ‘security reasons’ on Monday, when hearing of the plaintiffs in the cases was scheduled.
They also said that a hearing is scheduled on Tuesday at the Supreme Court on a leave to appeal over the cases filed by Khaleda.
Trial of the ‘Zia Orphanage Trust’ and ‘Zia Charitable Trust’ graft cases are being held at Dhaka’s Third Metropolitan Special Judge’s Court set up at the Aliya Madrasa in Bakshibazar area.
On Sept 22, the court recorded partial testimonies of the plaintiff in absence of Khaleda.
It had then adjourned before setting Monday (Oct 13) for the next hearing and instructed Khaleda to appear before the court.
On Mar 19, charges were framed against eight including Khaleda and her elder son Tarique Rahman in the two cases accusing them of embezzlement.
Khaleda, on May 12, challenged the legality of the appointment of Judge Basudeb Roy.
She also sought a stay on the case proceedings.
On May 25, the High Court bench of Justices Farah Mahbub and Kazi Md Ejarul Haque Akondo delivered a split verdict on the plea regarding the legality of the judge’s appointment.
Earlier the former prime minister had moved the High Court challenging the indictment but it dismissed her plea.
Justice Farah Mahbub issued a ruling and ordered a freeze on the proceedings in the cases, while Justice Kazi Md Ejarul Haque Akondo wanted to scrap the petitions.
As per rule, the matter was forwarded to the chief justice who assigned Justice Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque’s bench to hear the petitions.
The bench also dismissed the petitions on June 19.
Khaleda then filed two petitions to the Appellate Division against the dismissal.
The Anti-Corruption Commission in 2008 filed a case against six, including Khaleda and her son Tarique Rahman, for allegedly siphoning off Tk 21 million from the ‘Zia Orphanage Trust’ funds, which reportedly came from a foreign bank.
Charges were pressed against them two years later.
In 2011, the ACC accused the BNP chief and three others of misappropriating Tk 31.5 million from the ‘Zia Charitable Trust’.
The national anti-graft agency started prosecution against the four by submitting a charge-sheet against them in 2012.
Source: Bd news24
