The Appellate Division on Sunday posted tomorrow for passing its order on Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Khaleda Zia’s appeal against a High Court verdict that had rejected her petition challenging her indictment in the Zia Orphanage Trust fund embezzlement case.
The five-judge bench headed by the chief justice, Md Muzammel Hossain, also set Monday to pass its order on Khaleda’s appeal against another High Court verdict that had rejected her petition challenging cognizance of the charges in the orphanage trust case by a trial court.
The bench set the date amid her counsel Zainul Abedin’s claim that he could not finish his arguments on the Zia Orphanage Trust case because of time constraint.
The court, however, adjourned till tomorrow the hearing of Khaleda’s third petition challenging her indictment in the Zia Charitable Trust fund embezzlement case.
Senior lawyer Khondker Mahbub Hossain sought an adjournment in the hearing of Khaleda’s third appeal, saying that he was not prepared regarding her indictment in the charitable trust case.
Former prime minister Khaleda had filed three appeals against the High Court verdicts that rejected her petitions challenging proceedings in the two trusts cases by the judge of the Special Judge’s Court 3, Bashudev Roy.
Earlier, the Appellate Division rejected Khaleda’s two appeals against High Court orders that summarily rejected her petitions challenging the legality of appointment Bashudev Roy as the judge of the court.
The Special Judge’s Court 3 had adjourned until November 24 the recording of testimonies of prosecution witness in the orphanage trust case as Khaleda’s lawyers sought time arguing that her petition was pending with the Appellate Division.
The court on March 19 charged Khaleda, her eldest son Tarique Rahman and four others with misappropriation of about Tk 2.11 crore after withdrawal of the money from the Zia Orphanage Trust fund between November 13, 1993 and March 28, 2007.
The court charged Khaleda and three others with collection of Tk 3.15 crore illegally in the name of the Zia Charitable Trust and subsequent withdrawal of the money from the fund as an attempt to misappropriate.
On September 7, 2010, Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court took cognizance of the charges against Khaleda, Tarique and seven others in the two graft cases and sent the cases to the Special Judge’s Court 3 for trial.
Both the cases were filed during army-led interim regime.
Source: Newage
