BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s release from prison on a four-month bail is being delayed by a number of legal procedures, with not even her own lawyer able to say when she might be freed.
The High Court granted Khaleda bail in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case on Monday, a month after she was sentenced to five years in prison for her role in embezzling funds from the trust set up in the name of her late father and former Bangladesh President, Ziaur Rahman.
As part of the bail procedure, the High Court order will be sent to the court that delivered the original verdict in the case, which will in turn issue a bail bond for the BNP chief.
After submission of the bail bond, a release order will be sent to the prison. Khaleda Zia will then be released from jail on bail.
After hearing both parties, the High Court on Monday said it was granting the former prime minister interim bail on four grounds: the lower term of her sentence; the wait to prepare the paper book; her cooperation with the court and her bail conditions during her trial; and her age and health condition.
The BNP chief’s lawyer, Barrister Kaiser Kamal, expressed optimism that the Appellate Division will considers the four grounds and release his client “in a couple of days”.
Kamal said the bail procedure would take until Tuesday to be completed, provided no order is given against it.
However, an appeal against the bail order has been filed by the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC).
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“We are making preparations for filing an appeal, seeking a stay on the bail order,” ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan told the Dhaka Tribune. “If the Appellate Division stays the High Court’s order, Khaleda Zia’s release from jail could be prevented.
“(But) if the Appellate Division upholds the High Court order, and if there are no existing arrest warrants against the BNP chief, she could be released on bail.”
Attorney General Mahbubey Alam also confirmed that the state has begun preparation for filing an appeal against the bail order.
“The court has already rejected our time extension plea, so we will file an appeal seeking a stay on Khaleda Zia’s bail. We will also inform the matter to the jail authority,” Mahbubey said.
The attorney general, however, declined to make any comments over Khaleda Zia’s possible release from prison.
On February 8, Dhaka’s Fifth Special Judge’s Court convicted Khaleda and sentenced her to five years’ imprisonment in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case. She was then sent to the old central jail at Nazimuddin Road in the city.
This article was first published on banglatribune.com
Friday, March 28, 2025
