bdnews24.com :Charges against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in two corruption cases have been framed in ‘violation of rules’ to politically harass her, BNP has alleged.Standing Committee Member Rafiqul Islam Miah has also expressed the hope that the higher court will scrap the order.At a human-chain programme on Friday, he said, “The judge did not frame any charges in Khaleda Zia’s presence in court on Wednesday. We read in the newspapers that a court clerk had said that charges had been framed against her.””The charges were framed in an unsystematic way. Here, the only goal is to politically harass Khaleda Zia.”The Supreme Court lawyer said, the charges framed ‘without following the legal procedure’ would be scrapped by the higher court.The court of Dhaka’s Special Judge-3 on Wednesday framed the charges against the BNP chief and her elder son Tarique Rahman in the Zia Orphanage Trust and Zia Charitable Trust graft cases. The court also set April 21 to begin deposition by witnesses.At the event in front of the National Press Club, Rafiqul Islam Miah described the framing of charges against the BNP chairperson and the party’s senior vice-chairman as conspiracies by an “unelected government” to destroy the opposition.The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) had sued Khaleda Zia and several others for embezzlement and irregularities in the Zia Charitable Trust in 2011 and the Zia Orphanage Trust in 2008.Responding to a query, Law Minister Anisul Huq on Thursday had rubbished the BNP allegations, insisting that there was no political motive behind Khaleda’s indictment.Barrister Rafiqul on Friday criticised the minister for his remark. “I would like to remind him that the present Prime Minister had once been accused in 16 corruption cases. But they were withdrawn soon after she assumed office.””You (Anisul Huq) were a lawyer in the Anti-Corruption Commission at that time. What you are saying now is wrong,” he said in a direct reference to the minister.Rafiqul said the procedure was to read out the charges in the presence of the accused before being framed and give the accused a chance to respond, he said.He said the judge had bypassed this procedure, although Khaleda Zia was in court for three hours.The senior BNP leader was addressing the human-chain organised by the Sammilita Peshajibi Parishad, demanding the withdrawal of all cases against the party top brass.
