Staff Reporter :
The High Court (HC) on Sunday cleared the way for the lower court to continue trial proceedings against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in the Zia Charitable Trust case in her absence.
The High Court Bench of Justice Obaidul Hassan and Justice S M Kuddus Zaman passed the order, rejecting a revision petition filed by Khaleda seeking a stay on the trial proceedings of the case.
Anti-Corruption Commission’ lawyer Advocate Khurshid Alam Khan said, now there is no legal bar on the trial proceedings of the case in absence of the BNP Chief by the lower court after the High Court order.
Khaleda filed the revision petition with the HC on September 27 challenging the legality of a trial court decision to continue the proceedings of the case in her absence.
In the petition, she prayed to issue a rule on the ACC and the government to explain as to why the lower court’s decision should not be scrapped.
On September 20, a Dhaka court exempted BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia from personal appearance and decided to continue the trial of the Zia Charitable Trust case inside the old Dhaka Central Jail in her absence. Khaleda challenged that order in the revision petition.
The Anti-Corruption Commission filed the Zia Charitable Trust case against Khaleda and three others with Tejgaon Police Station in August, 2011.
According to the case statement, the former Prime Minister and three others abused their power and raised funds for the trust from unknown sources.
The three others are Harris Chowdhury, Political Secretary to the then PM Khaleda, Ziaul Islam Munna, Assistant Private Secretary (APS) to Harris, and Monirul Islam Khan, APS to former Dhaka City Mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka.
The former Prime Minister was sentenced to serve five years in jail on February 8 in the Zia Orphanage Trust case. She was sent to prison the same day.
The High Court (HC) on Sunday cleared the way for the lower court to continue trial proceedings against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in the Zia Charitable Trust case in her absence.
The High Court Bench of Justice Obaidul Hassan and Justice S M Kuddus Zaman passed the order, rejecting a revision petition filed by Khaleda seeking a stay on the trial proceedings of the case.
Anti-Corruption Commission’ lawyer Advocate Khurshid Alam Khan said, now there is no legal bar on the trial proceedings of the case in absence of the BNP Chief by the lower court after the High Court order.
Khaleda filed the revision petition with the HC on September 27 challenging the legality of a trial court decision to continue the proceedings of the case in her absence.
In the petition, she prayed to issue a rule on the ACC and the government to explain as to why the lower court’s decision should not be scrapped.
On September 20, a Dhaka court exempted BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia from personal appearance and decided to continue the trial of the Zia Charitable Trust case inside the old Dhaka Central Jail in her absence. Khaleda challenged that order in the revision petition.
The Anti-Corruption Commission filed the Zia Charitable Trust case against Khaleda and three others with Tejgaon Police Station in August, 2011.
According to the case statement, the former Prime Minister and three others abused their power and raised funds for the trust from unknown sources.
The three others are Harris Chowdhury, Political Secretary to the then PM Khaleda, Ziaul Islam Munna, Assistant Private Secretary (APS) to Harris, and Monirul Islam Khan, APS to former Dhaka City Mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka.
The former Prime Minister was sentenced to serve five years in jail on February 8 in the Zia Orphanage Trust case. She was sent to prison the same day.
