Khaleda now acquitted in all 37 cases filed under 1/11, AL rules
Appellate Division upholds her acquittal by HC in Zia Charitable Trust case
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has been acquitted in all 37 cases filed during the 1/11 and the Awami League rules as the Appellate Division today (3 March) upheld the High Court verdict acquitting her in the Zia Charitable Trust graft case.
The bench headed by Justice Md Ashraful Islam gave the order after scrapping two leave-to-appeals filed by the government and the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) against the High Court verdict.
"As the Appellate Division dismissed the leave-to-appeals, the High Court verdict remains in effect," Khaleda's lawyer Barrister Mahbub Uddin Khokon told reporters.
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"Our position on behalf of Khaleda Zia in this case was that this trust was a private one, being run with its own funds. There is no government or state money involved in this trust," he added.
"The Awami League government used the ACC to file this case and gave the verdict to politically harass Khaleda Zia. The testimony of 33 witnesses in this case could not prove any crime against Khaleda Zia, which the High Court said in its verdict."
During the trial, the Appellate Division commented that no evidence of corruption was found in this case, according to the lawyer.
"Since this trust was formed under the Trust Act, according to the law, if there was any irregularity, the case could have been filed under the Trust Act. However, at the time of filing this case, the parties concerned did not do that and filed a case under a different law. The purpose of filing this case was different," he commented.
Earlier on 27 November last year, the High Court ordered the acquittal of the BNP chairperson, scrapping her seven-year sentence in the case.
Among the 37 cases filed against Khaleda, 13 were filed during the rule of military-backed caretaker rule, widely known as 1/11, while 24 were filed during the Awami League rule.
Barrister Mahbub Uddin Khokon told TBS that among the notable cases, the Zia Orphanage and Zia Charitable Trust corruption cases, filed in 2011, have been settled by the Appellate Division.
Additionally, over the past 16 years, Khaleda has been acquitted in 22 other cases related to sabotage, defamation, and sedition, with the High Court dismissing some and the trial courts granting her discharge, he said.
The BNP chief was discharged from charges in the Niko and Gatco cases by the trial court in October and November last year, Khokon said.
On 30 October 2024, the High Court dismissed 10 sabotage cases and one sedition case filed against the BNP chairperson at Darus Salam and Jatrabari police stations in the capital, said the lawyer.
On 16 August, the former prime minister, who had been out of jail on an executive order and its extensions, was declared completely free after President Mohammed Shahabuddin commuted her prison terms.
