Three prosecution witnesses gave depositions against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and three other accused in Zia Charitable Trust graft case yesterday.
Khaleda, a three-time former premier, did not appear before the makeshift court set up at Bakshibazar in the capital due to her illness, her counsels said. She skipped the case proceedings on August 10 citing the same ground.
Judge Abu Ahmed Jamadar of the Dhaka’s Third Special Judge’s Court recorded the statements and set September 3 for further hearing in the case, filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
At the beginning of yesterday’s hearing, Khaleda’s counsels filed two petitions for non-appearance of the prime accused saying that she could not appear before the court due to illness.
The court then directed the defence counsels to start cross-examination of the complainant, Harun-ur-Rashid, on behalf of rest of the accused in Zia Charitable Trust case. After concluding the cross-examination, the court recorded the deposition of second prosecution witness Sub-Inspector Mahfuzul Haque Bhuiyan.
Mahfuz is now working in the administration department at the DMP Headquarters. He was the on-duty officer at Tejgaon police station when the case was filed on August 8, 2011.
Defence counsels Aminul Islam, Md Sanaullah Miah and TM Akbar Hossain cross examined him.
Later, Insan Uddin Ahmed, senior officer of Sonali Bank’s Fakirerpool branch, and Md Shahjahan Khan, its cash officer, gave depositions in the case.
