The High Court has rejected BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia's bail plea in the Zia Charitable Trust corruption case, in which she has been sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment.
The bench of Justice Obaidul Hassan and Justice SM Kuddus Zaman rejected the bail petition on Wednesday.
The same court had begun the hearing on Tuesday.
On April 30, the High Court accepted Khaleda’s appeal challenging a trial court verdict.
The court also ordered a status quo on the sub-ordinate court's property crock order to confiscate 4,200,000 katha of land bought in the name of the Zia Charitable Trust, and asked it to send it all case documents related with the case.
Conviction
A special court in Dhaka on October 29, 2018, found Khaleda guilty in the Zia Charitable Trust graft case—in absentia—and sentenced her to seven years of rigorous imprisonment.
The three-time former prime minister was fined Tk10 lakh, and given a six months’ additional jail term if she fails to pay the sum.
Apart from her, the court sentenced Harris Chowdhury, political secretary to then-Prime Minister Khaleda; his assistant personal secretary, Ziaul Haq Munna; and Monirul Islam Khan, assistant personal secretary to then-Dhaka mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka.
The court also ordered the land bought in the trust’s name be confiscated.
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The ACC filed the case against the four at the capital’s Tejgaon police station on August 8, 2011.
The same court on February 8 had also sentenced BNP chief Khaleda to five-year's imprisonment in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case.
Her son Tarique Rahman and four others—Kamal Uddin Siddique, Kazi Salimul Haque, Sharfuddin Ahmed and Ziaur Rahman’s nephew Mominur Rahman—were sentenced to 10 years in prison in this case, as well.
However, the High Court on October 30 dismissed Khaleda’s appeal in this case and doubled her punishment to 10-years of imprisonment.