Court Correspondent :
The Special Court-5 of Dhaka yesterday adjourned the proceedings of Zia Charitable Trust graft case till February 25 with a view to ease traffic jam in the capital during ongoing SSC examinations.
Judge of the special court Dr Md Akhteruzzaman passed the order following prosecution’s plea that said the adjournment would help make vehicular movement smooth during the SSC examinations.
Before that the Judge recorded the arguments of defence counsel Aminul Islam, placed on behalf of accused Ziaul Islam Munna. He claimed the case as “baseless”.
BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia, a prime accused in the case, appeared before the court at about 11:25 am and left the court at 1:30 pm while the arguments, on behalf of the defence ended yesterday.
The Anti-Corruption Commission filed the case on August 8, 2011 with Tejgaon Model Police Station accusing four persons including BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia of abusing power to raise funds for the trust from unknown sources. Other three accused persons are Harris Chowdhury, Khaleda’s Political Secretary when she was in power between 2001 and 2006, Ziaul Islam Munna, assistant private secretary to Harris and Monirul Islam Khan, APS of former Dhaka city Mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka. Of the accused, Harris is on the run.
Earlier on Tuesday, Public Prosecutor Mosharraf Hossain Kajal completed the closing arguments and sought the highest punishment of seven years’ imprisonment for the accused.
On July 3, 2008, the ACC filed the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case with Ramna Model Police Station accusing Khaleda Zia, her son Tarique Rahman and four others for misappropriating over Tk 21 million that came as grants from a foreign bank for orphans.
Meanwhile, on January 25, this special court of Dhaka fixed February 8 to pronounce the verdict in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case.
