Khaleda’s conditional release extended by six months

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson Khaleda Zia’s conditional release from jail has been extended by another six months, reports news agency UNB.

The home ministry issued a gazette notification in this regard on Tuesday. It will come into effect on 25 September, a day after the six-month suspension of her sentences will expire.

However, Khaleda Zia will not be allowed to go abroad for treatment as she will have to stay home and receive treatment there.

On 25 August, her younger brother, Shamim Iskander, submitted an application to home minister Asaduzzaman Khan seeking an extension of the release order.

On 3 September, the law ministry gave its opinion in favour of extending the suspension order on two conditions – receiving treatment at her Gulshan residence and not leaving the country.

Khaleda Zia was released from jail for six months upon an executive order considering her age and on humanitarian grounds following an application by her family on 25 March.

The former prime minister was sent to Old Dhaka Central Jail after she was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment by a special court in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case on 8 February 2018.

She was convicted in a second corruption case later.

The 76-year-old BNP chief has been staying at her Gulshan residence since her release. A special team of her personal physicians has been overseeing her treatment.