A
court in Dhaka on Monday adjourned till June 18 the hearing of Zia Orphanage
and Zia Charitable Trust graft cases against BNP Chairperson, Begum Khaleda Zia
and others.
Judge
Abu Ahmed Jamadar the Special Judges’ Court-3 temporarily set up at Dhaka Alia
Madrasa premises passed the order.
Khaleda
Zia appeared before the court around 10-55 in the morning amid stringent
security measures and left with the completion of the court proceedings around
12noon.
The
court also rejected the defence petition seeking cancellation of the statements
given by the plaintiff and the first prosecution witness after hearing
arguments from both the prosecution and defence.
However,
the court accepted the time petition filed by defence counsel Advocate
Khandoker Mahbub Hossain on the plea of taking preparation for hearing.
Stringent
security measures were taken in and around the court with the deployment of
additional law enforcers including Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), Detective
Branch (DB)of police, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) to maintain law and order.
Earlier
on April 5, the court gave Khaleda Zia bail in the two graft cases on condition
of her appearance positively before the court on every date.
Anti-Corruption
Commission (ACC) filed the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case on July 3 in 2008
with Ramna Police Station while the Zia Charitable Trust graft case was lodged
with Tejgaon Police Station on August 8, 2011, on charges of misappropriating
money in the name of the trusts.
The
commission filed a charge sheet in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case on August
5 in 2009 against Khaleda Zia, her elder son Tarique Rahman and four others on
charges of embezzling Tk 2.1 crore by forming the Trust which exists only on
paper.
In
accordance with the charge sheet of the Zia Charitable Trust graft case
submitted on January 16, 2012, Khaleda Zia and three others have allegedly
misappropriated Tk 6.19 crore after forming Zia Charitable Trust.
The
Special Judges Court-3 framed charges against Khaleda Zia, her son Tarique
Rahman and others in the two graft cases on March 19 last.
(Source:
BSS)