Court Correspondent :
The Special Judge Court-5 of Dhaka yesterday cancelled the ad interim bail of BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia and also issued warrant of arrest against the BNP leader as she failed to appear in the court by Thursday afternoon in two graft cases.
Meanwhile, Khaleda Zia’s lawyer Md Zakir Hossain Bhuiyan sought time until 2:00pm on Thursday from the court saying that Begum Khaleda Zia could not reach the court due to a hartal enforced in Dhaka city by Left Parties.
The makeshift court at Bakshibazar earlier fixed November 30 to record Khaleda Zia’s self defence statement in the Zia Orphanage and Zia Charitable Trust corruption cases. Meanwhile, the court fixed December 5, 6 and 7 for submission of the arguments in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case. Besides, the court fixed date to record the counter depositions of the defence witnesses.However, Judge Dr Md Akhteruzzaman of the court told the defence lawyers that he did not see any impact of shutdown on the street and she could come to the court and the lawyers also did it. Then as to why Khaleda Zia could not come to the court, the court added.
On August 8, 2011, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the Zia Charitable Trust graft case with Tejgaon Model Police Station, against four, including Khaleda Zia, of raising funds for the trust from unknown sources through abuse of power.
On July 3, 2008, ACC filed the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case with Ramna Model Police Station, accusing Khaleda Zia, her son Tarique Rahman and four others for misappropriating over Tk two crore 10 lakh 71 thousand 643 that was received as grants for orphans through a foreign bank.
