Court Correspondent :
The Special Judge Court-5 of Dhaka yesterday extended the bail of BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia in the Zia Charitable Trust graft case until today (Wednesday) for hearing.
Judge Dr Md Akhtaruzzaman of the Special Court-5 passed the order after holding a hearing in the case yesterday (Tuesday).
The judge told the lawyers of Khaleda Zia that they were delaying the trial proceedings of the case.
The judge made the comment after Khaleda Zia’s lawyer Masud Ahmed Talukder submitted two separate petitions- one for extension of Khaleda Zia’s bail and the other for adjournment of argument hearing in the case.
“Did you come to the court only to seek bail for BNP Chairperson?” the judge asked the BNP Chairperson Khaleda’s lawyers.
Earlier in the day, the judge said he would pass an order on the no-confidence petitions submitted by two other accused namely Ziaul Huq Munna and Monirul Islam Khan in the case.
At the end of yesterday’s hearing, Public Prosecutor of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Mosharraf Hossain Kajol told the court that the defence lawyers did not co-operate with the court in the trial proceedings and were rather making ‘conspiracies’ from both inside and outside. A gloomy situation has been created, Kajol added.
He further said that no such situation was created for submitting no-confidence petitions. He also said that the lawyers were making conspiracy and they were self-contradictory.
Since no apex court order has come, the court was not compelled to stop the trial proceedings, the lawyer said during submitting his arguments.
About absence of Khaleda Zia, Kajol said she would not continue the trial, while the judicial system would be damaged if things run this way.
“She was a former Prime Minister and an old woman. Considering her old age and honor, this court was set up,” Kajal said.
On the other hand, Masud said Begum Khaleda Zia herself told the court that she was very ill and she could not move without help of others, adding she could not sit at a place for long.
They (lawyers) would go to the apex court challenging the legality of the September 20 order on running the trial against Khaleda Zia in her absence, so time has been sought for adjournment of the hearing until she improves physically from illness, Advocate Masud Talukder added.
