Hearing on Khaleda’s bail Sunday

The High Court has fixed Sunday to hear an appeal petition filed by BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia that challenged her five years imprisonment in jail by a Dhaka’s court in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case.

Accepting the appeal, the bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Shahidul Karim passed the order on Thursday.

The hearing on bail petition of Khaleda Zia will also be held on the day.

Earlier, the court set Thursday to hear whether the appeal by BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia will be heard or not after it was placed before a bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Shahidul Karim. 

A day after receiving the certified copy of the lower court verdict, lawyers of BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia filed an 880-page appeal petition with the High Court challenging her sentence in the Zia Orphanage Trust case on last Tuesday afternoon.

In the 1,222-page appeal, the BNP chief sought bail and prayed to the HC to acquit her of the corruption charge after setting aside the lower court verdict. 

The appeal mentioned a total of 44 legal points to scrap the trial court verdict.

The Dhaka special court-5 convicted the former Prime Minister and BNP chairperson and sentenced her to five years' imprisonment in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case.

She was then sent to old central jail at Nazimuddin Road in the city.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case on July 3, 2008 with Ramna Police Station accusing Khaleda, her eldest son Tarique Rahman, now living in the UK, and four others of misappropriating over 2.10 crore that came as grants from a foreign bank for orphans.