ACC wants Khaleda to appear in court Sunday

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has applied to a Dhaka court to produce BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia at the court on Sunday in connection with the Zia Charitable Trust graft case.

Khaleda Zia has been in jail since 8 February when the court awarded her with five years of imprisonment.

ACC lawyer Mosharraf Hossain Kajol on Thursday applied to the special judge court-5 of Md. Akhtaruzzaman, a court assistant, Mokarram Hossain, told Prothom Alo.

ACC lawyer Kajol said Khaleda Zia is now in jail as the court sentenced her to five years in jail in Zia Orphanage Trust graft case.

The court has fixed 25 February for hearing on the Zia Charitable Trust graft case in which former prime minister Khaleda Zia has also been implicated.

The ACC lawyer said an application was filed to issue a production warrant (PW) against Khaleda Zia for bringing her to the court from the jail.

The court, however, has not issued any order in response to the ACC application, according to the court.

Khaleda's lawyer Masud Ahmed Talukdar said the court has fixed 25-26 February for placing arguments on the Zia Charitable Trust graft case.

"Steps should be taken as per law," he added.

On 8 August 2010, the ACC filed a case with the Tejgaon police station on charges of 'illegal money transaction' of Tk 31.50 million in name of Zia Charitable Trust.

On 16 January 2012, the ACC submitted charge sheet against Khaleda Zia and three others in the court. The charge was framed in this case on 19 March 2014.

The other accused in the case are Khaleda Zia's former political secretary Haris Chowdhury (fugitive), his former personal assistant secretary and Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) former acting director Ziaul Islam Munna and personal secretary of former Dhaka mayor Sadek Hossain Khoka, Monirul Islam.