Appeal hearing against Khaleda Zia’s conviction ends, verdict Wednesday

BNP chairperson Khaleda ZiaFile photo

Appeal hearing against the conviction of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson Khaleda Zia and two others in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case ended for the fourth day on Tuesday.

Later, the five-member Appellate Division bench led by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed fixed Wednesday to pronounce its verdict.

Khaleda Zia was initially imprisoned on 8 February 2018, when a special court in Dhaka sentenced her to five years in prison in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case.

Later, in response to an appeal by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), the High Court on 30 October that year, raised her jail term to 10 years.

Khaleda Zia, also a former prime minister, filed two leave to appeal petitions with the Appellate Division on 14 March 2019 through her lawyer challenging the HC verdict.

The Appellate Division on 11 November last year granted the petitions and stayed the effectiveness of the conviction order. Following this, she filed a separate appeal against the conviction order.

Besides, former member of parliament Kazi Salimul Haque Kamal and businessperson Sharfuddin Ahmed last year filed separate petitions against the High Court order that upheld 10-year imprisonment.

The hearing on Khaleda Zia’s appeal started on 7 January. On the third day, 9 January, the hearing on appeals of Khaleda Zia and Sharfuddin Ahmed ended.

The Appellate Division that day fixed 14 January, today, for hearing on the appeal of Kazi Salimul Haque Kamal.

Later, the court said that the verdict will be pronounced tomorrow, Wednesday.

Senior lawyer Zainul Abedin AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon, M Badruddoza and lawyer Kaiser Kamal represented Khaleda Zia in the court.

Besides, senior lawyer Md Ruhul Kuddus represented Khaleda Zia and Sharfuddin while senior lawyer SM Shahjahan took part in the hearing representing Kazi Salimul Haque Kamal.

Additional attorney general Mohammad Arshadur Rauf and Anuk R Haque represented the state in the hearing while lawyer Asif Hasan represented the ACC.

Case details

The Zia Orphanage Trust graft case was filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on 3 July 2008, accusing Khaleda Zia of misappropriating over Tk 21 million that was received as grants for orphans via a foreign bank.

On 8 February 2018, special judge court-5 pronounced the verdict in the case, sentencing 5-year imprisonment for Khaleda Zia. She was also fined in the case. Besides, her elder son and BNP’s acting chairperson Tareq Rahman, former member of parliament Kazi Salimul Haque Kamal, former principal secretary Kamal Uddin Siddiqui, businessperson Sharfuddin Ahmed were sentenced to 10 years imprisonment.

Khaleda Zia appealed against the trial court’s sentence at High Court in 2018 while Kazi Salimul Haque Kamal and Sharfuddin Ahmed filed separate appeals against their sentences.

On the other hand, the High Court issued a rule as the ACC appealed for raising the prison sentence of Khaleda Zia. After hearing three appeal pleas and the ruling, the HC pronounced its verdict on 30 October 2018.

The appeal of Khaleda Zia was rejected by the High Court. The court also raised the 5-year imprisonment of the BNP chief to 10-year.

The court also rejected the appeals of Kazi Salimul Haque Kamal and Sharfuddin Ahmed.