Lawyers meet Khaleda at Dhaka Central Jail

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, who has been in prison since February 8 after being convicted in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case, on Sunday asked why she is not being granted bail in the case. She asked the question when her counsel met with her at Old Dhaka Central Jail around 3pm. The counsel involved former Speaker Barrister Jamiruddin Sircar, Barrister Abdur Razzaq Khan, former Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) president Barrister Khandaker Mahbubur Hossain, incumbent SCBA President Advocate Zainul Abedin, General Secretary Barrister Mahbub Uddin Khokon, and former attorney general Barrister AJ Mohammad Ali. Speaking to journalists at the jail gate following the meeting, Khokon said: “BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia asked us why the Supreme Court is not granting her bail in the case, whereas any person convicted by a lower court can easily secure bail from the apex court. “But, we could not give a satisfactory response to her queries about why the Supreme Court had stayed a High Court order that granted her bail in the case.” The SCBA leader said that during their meeting with the BNP chief they discussed only legal matters regarding her release from jail. “We did not discuss political affairs. We only discussed how to free her from prison.” Khokon further said they tried to convince Khaleda that the defence counsel would be successful in their efforts to get her released through their ongoing legal battle by resisting “all conspiracies hatched by the government” to keep her in jail. Asked about her physical condition, he said Khaleda is physically well and mentally very strong. On February 8, Judge Dr Akhtaruzzaman of Dhaka’s Fifth Special Judge Court sentenced former prime minister and BNP chief Khaleda Zia to five years’ imprisonment in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case. The same court also sentenced five other accused, including Khaleda’s son and BNP’s acting Chairperson Tarique Rahman, to 10 years’ imprisonment each and fined the six Tk2.10 crore each.This article was first published on banglatribune.com