SC to hear plea on Khaleda’s acquittal in Zia Charitable Trust graft case tomorrow

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court (SC) is scheduled to hold hearing tomorrow on a state plea over High Court judgment in the Zia Charitable Trust graft case.

The court earlier in its verdict acquitted BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and two others convicted and sentenced by the lower court concerned in the case.

The matter came on the apex court's cause list for 16 February as item number five. 

Confirming the matter to BSS, Additional Attorney General Aneek Rushd Haque said the state had filed the appeal over the High Court judgement that acquitted Begum Khaleda Zia and others.

That plea has come to the Appellate Division's regular bench for hearing and it came on the cause list for tomorrow, he added.

The High Court on 27 November 2024, allowed two separate appeals filed by BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia and two other convicts, challenging the lower court conviction and sentence in the Zia Charitable Trust graft case and acquitted them of the charges. 

"Appeal allowed," said the identical orders passed by the HC bench of Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Syed Enayet Hossain on that day.

"The court allowed two separate appeals, one filed by Begum Khaleda Zia, and another jointly filed by Ziaul Islam and Monirul Islam Khan. The court acquitted them of the case," ACC counsel Asif Hasan told newsmen after the High Court judgment.

"During the hearing, not even a single witness said that Begum Khaleda Zia embezzled any money by misusing her power in the trust. We pointed out the big inconsistencies in the First Information Report (FIR) and the charge sheet in our arguments, and allowing our pleas, the court accepted our appeals," senior advocate Zainul Abedin said.

Begum Khaleda Zia's other counsel Barrister Kaiser Kamal said the case was fully politically motivated, and his client was deprived of justice at the lower court.