BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia will not appear before a Dhaka court today in connection with the two cases – Zia Charitable Trust graft and Zia Orphanage Trust graft cases.
Advocate Sanaullah Miah, legal pleader of Khaleda, told the Dhaka Tribune that ‘‘the BNP chief will not appear before the court as she is busy preparing to attend the next parliament session”.
On April 9, Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Mohammd Zahurul Haque set May 22 for hearing on the acceptance of the charge sheet placed against Khaleda in connection with the Zia Charitable Trust graft case.
On January 15 the court Mohammd Zahurul Haque took into cognisance the charges against Khaleda Zia and three others in the Zia Charitable Trust graft case.
Three other accused in the case are Khaleda Zia’s former political secretary Harris Chowdhury, his former assistant personal secretary Ziaul Islam Munna, and Manirul Islam Khan, former personal secretary of mayor of undivided Dhaka City Corporation Sadeque Hossain Khoka.
Of the accused, Harris Chowdhury left the country in 2007 and has been staying abroad since then. He was mentioned in the charge sheet as an absconding accused. Ziaul and Monirul were now on bail.
On August 8, 2011, the ACC filed the case with Tejgaon Police Station accusing the four, including Khaleda, of abusing power in raising funds for the trust from unknown sources.
ACC Deputy Director Harunur Rashid, also investigation officer of the case, pressed charges against the accused on January 16, 2012.
According to the case statement,
A 42-katha land in the city’s Kakrail area was bought from a person, Suraiya Khanam, in January 2005 for Tk65.2 million.
The ACC found that Tk12.5 million of the total money was earned beyond the known sources of income of the Zia Charitable Trust.
Zia Orphanage Trust graft case story
On April 18 another Dhaka Special Judge’s Court-3 Judge Mozammel Hossain fixed May 22 for the charge framing hearing on the Zia orphanage trust graft case against Khaleda Zia, her elder son Tarique Rahman, also party’s senior vice-chairman and other accused.
On July 3, 2008, Anti-Corruption Commission filed the case with the Ramna Police Station accusing Khaleda Zia, her son Tarique Rahman and four others of misappropriating over Tk21m which came as grants from a foreign bank for the orphans.
On August 5, 2010, ACC Deputy Director Harunur Rashid submitted a charge-sheet in the case against six people, including Khaleda Zia.
The other accused in the case are Mominur Rahman, nephew of Ziaur Rahman, Khaleda's former principal secretary Dr Kamaluddin Siddique, and former BNP lawmaker Kazi Salimul Haque and Sarfuddin Ahmed.
Former lawmaker Salimul Haque Kamal alias Econo Kamal and Sharfuddin Ahmed were present in the court during the hearing while another accused Tarique Rahman left the country for London for treatment after obtaining bail from the Supreme Court in 2008.
Khaleda last appeared before the court on January 15 when she secured a permanent bail in the graft case.
