BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has told a Dhaka court that she fears she will not get justice as the judiciary “is not being allowed to function independently”.
She presented herself before Dhaka Special Court 5 on Thursday and was granted bail in two corruption cases – Zia Orphanage Trust and Zia Charitable Trust.
“The chief justice recently said the judiciary was in shackles and the judges were not [being able to] work independently. There is an apprehension about us getting justice,” she said.
“There is a strong skepticism at the national and international level that there is no congenial atmosphere in the country that favours justice.”
The next hearing is scheduled for October 26.
Khaleda, a former prime minister, claimed the corruption case was “false, fabricated and intended to harass the accused”.
“I was not involved with Zia Orphanage Trust personally, not even when I was the prime minister,” she said. “I still have no ties to it.”
The BNP chief claimed the Anti Corruption Commission did not have the authority to file the case, which she claimed had harassed her for a long time, disrupted her personal life and political activities.
“It is throwing my endeavour and plans for the welfare of the country and the people into disarray. A section of my activists, well-wishers and the people are passing their days in deep anxiety because of these false cases,” she added.
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Khaleda alleged that judges could not work independently because of different forms of government influence. “The judges have to depend on the government’s whims in delivering verdicts and orders, having to consider what would please or displease those in power,” she said. “Power is abused. So, it is only natural for the judges to be afraid,” she added. She cited the acquittal of her son, BNP Senior Vice Chairman Tarique Rahman, in a money laundering case in absentia. “The judge (who acquitted Tarique) was eventually forced to leave the country with his family for safety,” Khaleda said. “This single example is enough for the judges to be concerned about their personal safety. Such incidents keep taking place in the open and in secret. These things are obstructing justice and depriving the people of justice.” “This is the reason the ruling quarter’s conflict with the highest court has almost taken a public form.”The article was first published on Bangla Tribune
