BNP on Thursday condemned the charge framing against its chairperson Khaleda Zia, her son Tarique Rahman in the Zia Charitable Trust and Zia Orphanage Trust graft cases, saying it was done at the behest of the government with an ill-motive to demoralise the ex-Prime Minister.
“BNP strongly believes that the charges were framed against Khaleda Zia, and Tarique Rahman in the two cases at the behest of the government,” said party joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi.
He continued: “It was also a part of government’s evil plot to demoralise and politically undermine Begum Zia.” Rizvi came up with the party’s formal reaction to the charge faming against its top leaders at a press briefing at BNP’s Nayapaltan central office.
Asked what measures they will take against it, he said they will continue the political battle alongside the legal one. “We’ll announce our protest programme against it latter.”
The BNP spokesman alleged that the legal process was not followed in framing the charges against Khaleda, Tarique and seven others in the two graft cases.
He said though Khaleda was present at the court, neither any proposal was placed nor any hearing was held about the charge framing. “And even it was not asked whether she is guilty or innocent.”
On Wednesday, a Dhaka court framed charges against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, her son Tarique Rahman and seven others rejecting their time petition in the Zia Charitable Trust and Zia Orphanage Trust graft cases.
Judge Basudev Roy of the Dhaka Special Judge Court-3 passed the order and fixed April 21 for starting the trial with the recording of evidence of the Prosecution Witnesses.
On August 8, 2011, the ACC filed the Zia Charitable Trust case with Tejgaon Police Station accusing four people, including Khaleda Zia, of abusing power in raising funds for the trust from unknown sources.
Besides, 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, after securing bail, and four others of misappropriating over Tk 2.10 crore which came as grants from a foreign bank for the orphans.
