Appeal for Khaleda’s release sent to law ministry: Home minister

Home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on Monday said the family's appeal to temporarily release BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia from jail was sent to the law ministry for its legal opinion, reports UNB.

"They'll take the next step," he said after inaugurating the Hajj Service Booth at the Passport Directorate at Agargaon.

Kamal clarified that his ministry does not have the authority to release the former prime minister and that Khaleda's family must move the court for this.

"That's why we've forwarded the appeal to law ministry for its opinion," he said. "The issue has to be resolved through judiciary."

Asked about law ministry's remarks that the matter is under the home ministry's purview, minister Kamal said: "The law minister cannot speak anything beyond the law, and we cannot cross the boundary. We're doing what's necessary."

On Sunday, Khaleda's family submitted an application to the home ministry seeking her release.

Her sister Selima Islam on Saturday urged the government to release Khaleda on humanitarian ground.

Khaleda, a former prime minister, has been in jail since she was convicted in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case on 8 February, 2018.

She was found guilty in another corruption case later the same year, though her party claims both cases are politically motivated.

The BNP chief has been receiving treatment at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University since 1 April last year.