The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has upheld the High Court’s verdict acquitting BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia of a seven-year sentence in the Zia Charitable Trust corruption case.
The three-judge bench of the Appellate Division, led by Justice Md Ashfaqul Islam, delivered the verdict on Monday.
Lawyer Asif Hossain represented the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), while Barrister Ruhul Quddus Kajol, Advocate Aminul Islam, Advocate Zakir Hossain, Advocate Maksud Ullah, and others appeared for Khaleda Zia.
On November 27, 2024, the High Court acquitted Khaleda Zia of her seven-year prison sentence in the Zia Charitable Trust corruption case.
A bench of Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Syed Enayet Hossain delivered the verdict after accepting her appeal against the conviction.
Previously, on October 29, 2018, Dhaka Special Court No. 5 sentenced Khaleda Zia to seven years of rigorous imprisonment and fined her Tk10 lakh in the Zia Charitable Trust corruption case.
The court also ruled that failure to pay the fine would result in an additional six months of imprisonment. Khaleda Zia later appealed against the verdict.
While in prison, Khaleda Zia was taken to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital (BSMMU) for treatment on October 6, 2018, and April 1, 2019.
After medical examinations, she was sent back to prison. Over time, she was transferred multiple times between prison and hospital for treatment.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, her family appealed to the government for her release on humanitarian grounds.
In response, the previous government suspended her sentence multiple times, allowing her to remain out of prison under certain conditions.
