Court Correspondent :
The Special Judge Court-5 of Dhaka on Tuesday adjourned defence argument on behalf of BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia till Wednesday in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case.
Khaleda Zia’s lawyer Abdur Rezak Khan yesterday placed his argument in the makeshift Special Judge Court set up in city’s Bakshibazar area of Dhaka city. After ending hearing on the closing argument, Khaleda Zia’s lawyers Barrister Moudud Ahmed and Abdur Rezak Khan told reporters that the corruption case was politically motivated. There is no merit in the graft charges framed against the BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and the prosecution has failed to prove it, Moudud added.
“No one among the 32 witnesses could tell the court that the BNP Chairperson abused her official power when she was in office. The case was filed to harass her. We hope that Khaleda Zia would get acquittal,” Moudud, said. Khaleda’s closing argument in the case began on December 20 and on completion of it, the court will deliver its verdict.
On July 3, 2008, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case with Ramna Model Police Station accusing Khaleda Zia, her son Tarique Rahman and four others of misappropriating over Tk 2.10 crore that came as grants for orphans from a foreign bank.
Three years after, the anti-graft body ACC lodged the Zia Charitable Trust graft case with Tejgaon Model Police Station, accusing four persons, including Khaleda Zia, of abusing power to raise funds for the Trust from unknown sources.
