BNP voiced frustration and anger yesterday after the Supreme Court suspended the bail granted to party chief Khaleda Zia in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case.
The High Court had granted the four-month interim bail to the BNP chief on Monday, before the Supreme Court yesterday stayed that order until Sunday.
BNP leaders alleged that the Supreme Court bench only passed the stay order after a unilateral hearing with the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) lawyer.
“The highest court can pass any order, but passing an order after a unilateral hearing is not logical at all,” BNP Standing Committee member Moudud Ahmed said at a press conference at the party’s Naya Paltan central office on Wednesday.
“We think this has tarnished the image and tradition of the highest court. We’re upset, angry and sad over today’s order.”
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir described the different orders passed by the two courts as “a reflection of the government’s will”.
A four-member Appellate Division bench, headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain, passed the order after hearing two petitions filed against the High Court order.
The apex court also asked the petitioners to file regular leave-to-appeal petitions by Sunday.
On Tuesday, Appellate Division Chamber Judge Justice Hasan Foez Siddique sent the two petitions to the full bench of the division without passing any orders.
Advocate Sufia Khatun filed a petition on behalf of the state while lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan lodged another one on behalf of the Anti-Corruption Commission.
Last month, Khaleda Zia was sentenced to five years in prison for her role in embezzling funds from a trust set up in the name of her late husband, Ziaur Rahman.
Wednesday, March 26, 2025
