Khaleda's appeal hearing in Zia Charitable Trust case begins

The High Court has begun hearing BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia's appeal against the court's seven-year sentence in the controversial Zia Charitable Trust corruption case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

The hearing began today (20 November) under the High Court bench of Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Syed Enayet Hossain.

Senior lawyer Zainul Abedin and lawyer Barrister Kaiser Kamal stood for the writ petition in the court. After the first hearing today, the court was adjourned until next Wednesday (27 November).

Earlier on 3 November, the High Court allowed Khaleda to begin preparations for paper books in an appeal against a lower court's ruling that sentenced her to seven years in prison in the Zia Charitable Trust corruption case.

Khaleda Zia now free as President commutes her jail sentence

On that day, lawyers Zainul Abedin and Kaiser Kamal said the BNP chairperson's sentence in this case was commuted by the president on 6 August. So, the question may arise why the appeal hearing is still going on.

In reply, they said Khaleda Zia respects the law. The president has pardoned her as there is a provision for pardon there. However, Khaleda Zia does not believe in pardon, they said. She did not commit a crime, they added.

She did not ask for pardon either. So, she has instructed the lawyers to deal with it legally.

On 29 October 2018, Dhaka Special Judge Court-5's Judge Md Akhtaruzzaman (currently a judge of the High Court Division), sentenced Khaleda Zia to seven years of rigorous imprisonment in the Zia Charitable Trust case. At the same time, she was fined Tk10 lakh and another six months in prison in default. The same sentence was given to the other three accused in the case.

The other three convicted accused are former prime minister Khaleda Zia's then political secretary Harris Chowdhury, Harris Chowdhury's then private secretary Ziaul Islam Munna, private secretary to former mayor of the undivided Dhaka City Corporation Monirul Islam Khan. Harris Chowdhury has been absconding since then. The remaining accused appealed to the High Court.

In August 2011, the ACC filed the Zia Charitable Trust graft case with Tejgaon Police Station, accusing four people, including Khaleda, of raising funds for the trust from unknown sources and abusing power.

The 78-year-old former prime minister has long been suffering from various ailments, including liver cirrhosis, arthritis, diabetes, kidney, lung, heart, eye problems, and post-Covid complications.

Amid the coronavirus outbreak, the government temporarily freed Khaleda Zia from jail through an executive order by suspending her sentence on 25 March 2020, with the condition that she would stay at her Gulshan house and not leave the country.

Since then, her release term has been extended every six months following the family's plea.