Court Correspondent :
The Special Judge Court-3 of Dhaka again deferred recording the depositions of the witnesses in two graft cases against BNP chief Begum Khaleda Zia and others, after she sought more time yesterday.
Judge Basudeb Roy fixed November 9 for hearing in Zia Charitable Trust and Zia Orphanage Trust cases.
Khaleda Zia’s lawyers cited security reasons for absence from the court and argued that the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court would hear her Leave to Appeal on both cases
next month. The defense counsel had sought time during the last hearing also. The court accepted the plea and ordered her to be present in person on hearing of October 26.
Several Islamist parties called a daylong countrywide general strike on Sunday demanding arrest of former minister and Awami League leader Abdul Latif Siddiqui for his anti-Hajj remarks. BNP’s key ally Jamaat-e-Islami, too, had supported the shutdown.
ACC Deputy Director Harun-or-Rashid, the plaintiff of both the cases, was present in the court on Sunday. The court had recorded his partial testimony on Sept 22 in Khaleda’s absence.
In 2008, the ACC prosecuted six, including Khaleda Zia and her son Tarique Rahman for allegedly embezzling Tk 21 million from the Zia Orphanage Trust fund that had reportedly come from a foreign bank. Charges were pressed against them two years later.
In 2011, the ACC accused the BNP chief and three others of embezzling Tk 31.5 million from the Zia Charitable Trust. The national anti-graft agency, ACC pressed charges against the accused in 2012.
The court on September 22, this year opened the trial in the two cases against Begum Khaleda Zia and others on charges of raising fund illegally for two charities and embezzling the amount.
On October 13, the court adjourned the proceedings of the cases till October 26 after the defense lawyers submitted four separate petitions to the court seeking adjournment of hearing in both cases. The court on the day had also asked Khaleda Zia and four others now on bail to appear before it on October 26.
Meanwhile, the Appellate Division has scrapped her plea challenging the legality of appointing the judge who indicted her in the two cases.
The Special Judge Court-3 of Dhaka again deferred recording the depositions of the witnesses in two graft cases against BNP chief Begum Khaleda Zia and others, after she sought more time yesterday.
Judge Basudeb Roy fixed November 9 for hearing in Zia Charitable Trust and Zia Orphanage Trust cases.
Khaleda Zia’s lawyers cited security reasons for absence from the court and argued that the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court would hear her Leave to Appeal on both cases
next month. The defense counsel had sought time during the last hearing also. The court accepted the plea and ordered her to be present in person on hearing of October 26.
Several Islamist parties called a daylong countrywide general strike on Sunday demanding arrest of former minister and Awami League leader Abdul Latif Siddiqui for his anti-Hajj remarks. BNP’s key ally Jamaat-e-Islami, too, had supported the shutdown.
ACC Deputy Director Harun-or-Rashid, the plaintiff of both the cases, was present in the court on Sunday. The court had recorded his partial testimony on Sept 22 in Khaleda’s absence.
In 2008, the ACC prosecuted six, including Khaleda Zia and her son Tarique Rahman for allegedly embezzling Tk 21 million from the Zia Orphanage Trust fund that had reportedly come from a foreign bank. Charges were pressed against them two years later.
In 2011, the ACC accused the BNP chief and three others of embezzling Tk 31.5 million from the Zia Charitable Trust. The national anti-graft agency, ACC pressed charges against the accused in 2012.
The court on September 22, this year opened the trial in the two cases against Begum Khaleda Zia and others on charges of raising fund illegally for two charities and embezzling the amount.
On October 13, the court adjourned the proceedings of the cases till October 26 after the defense lawyers submitted four separate petitions to the court seeking adjournment of hearing in both cases. The court on the day had also asked Khaleda Zia and four others now on bail to appear before it on October 26.
Meanwhile, the Appellate Division has scrapped her plea challenging the legality of appointing the judge who indicted her in the two cases.
