The High Court has rejected BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s bail petition on in the Zia orphanage Trust corruption case.
The bench of Justice Obaidul Hasan and Justice SM Kuddus Zaman passed the order on Wednesday.
Senior lawyer Zainul Abedin came up with hearing in the court on behalf of Khaleda Zia.
Moudud Ahmed, Khandker Mahbub Hossain, Joynul Abedin, and Kayser Kamal, among others, stood for Khaleda.
Earlier, lawyers of Khaleda Zia placed a bail petition to High Court on July 28.
The court fixed the date on July 31 for hearing on the bail plea.
Conviction
A special court in Dhaka on October 29, 2018, found Khaleda guilty in the Zia Charitable Trust graft case—in absentia—and sentenced her to seven years of rigorous imprisonment.
The three-time former prime minister was fined Tk10 lakh, and given a six months’ additional jail term if she fails to pay the sum.
Apart from her, the court sentenced Harris Chowdhury, political secretary to then-prime minister Khaleda; his assistant personal secretary, Ziaul Haq Munna; and Monirul Islam Khan, assistant personal secretary to then-Dhaka mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka.
The court also ordered the land bought in the trust’s name be confiscated.
The ACC filed the case with Tejgaon police station on August 8, 2011.
The same court on February 8 had also sentenced BNP chief Khaleda to five-year's imprisonment in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case.
Her son Tarique Rahman and four others—Kamal Uddin Siddique, Kazi Salimul Haque, Sharfuddin Ahmed and Ziaur Rahman’s nephew Mominur Rahman—were sentenced to 10 years in prison in this case, as well.
However, the High Court on October 30 dismissed Khaleda’s appeal in this case and doubled her punishment to 10-years of imprisonment.