BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has appeared before a Dhaka court to attend hearings in two graft cases – Zia Charitable Trust and Zia Orphanage Trust cases.
BNP chief appeared before Judge Abu Ahmed Jamadar of the Special Judge Court-3 around 10:30am on Thursday amid tight security.
She left her Gulshan residence for the Bakshibazar court around 9:35am.
Earlier, the BNP chief appeared before the special court set up at Bakshibazar in the capital in connection with the graft cases on May 25.
Later, the court fixed June 18 for next hearing in the graft cases.
On May 24, Dhaka’s Third Special Judge Abu Ahmed Jamadar fixed June 18 for the next hearing in the graft cases and asked Khaleda to be present during the hearing.
The trial of the corruption cases against Khaleda and eight other accused began on September 22 last year.
The Anti-Corruption Commission filed one of the graft cases against Khaleda and five others for embezzling over Tk2.1 crore by forming a “fake” Zia Orphanage Trust that existed only on paper.
The other accused are Khaleda’s son Tarique Rahman, Ziaur Rahman’s nephew Mominur Rahman, Khaleda’s former principal secretary Kamal Uddin Siddiqui, former BNP lawmaker Kazi Salimul Haque Kamal and businessman Sharfuddin Ahmed.
The other case was filed by the anti-graft body in 2011 for abusing power in setting up the Zia Charitable Trust accusing Khaleda, her former political secretary Harris Chowdhury, his assistant private secretary Ziaul Islam Munna, and former Dhaka mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka’s assistant personal secretary and Monirul Islam Khan.
