Staff Reporter :BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia will appear before the court on April 5 if the government provides her adequate security, President of Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) Khandker Mahbub Hossain said on Thursday. “Khaleda Zia is respectful to law,” Mahbub, also adviser to the BNP Chairperson, told journalists at his Supreme Court office. Khaleda Zia is facing Zia Orphanage Trust and Zia Charitable Trust graft cases. The hearing on the two graft charges is scheduled to be held at the Special Judge’s Court at Alia Madrasah in city’s Bakshibazar area. Khandker Mahbub, the lead counsel of BNP Chairperson, said it is the government’s responsibility to ensure her (Khaleda) security. “Last time when she went to the court her motorcade came under attack. If the government ensures that there will be no trouble if she goes to the court and she will be able to return to her office, the BNP chairperson will appear before court on April 5,” he asserted. The allegations are politically motivated against Khaleda Zia and she was not involved in the misappropriation of the funds, the SCBA President said.Khaleda Zia has been staying at her Gulshan office since early January.Earlier, the court issued arrest warrant against Khaleda Zia on February 25 for skipping the hearings on the two graft cases on four consecutive dates. Khaleda Zia also filed a no-confidence petition against the judge with the High Court seeking a transfer of the court. The petition is still pending at the High Court.The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the two cases against Khaleda Zia. It filed the Zia Orphanage Trust case against the BNP Chief in 2009 on charge of embezzlement of money, while the Zia Charitable Trust case was filed in 2011 for abusing her power in creating the trust.
