Khaleda, 5 BNP leaders won’t be able to contest polls

Five leaders of BNP won’t be able to contest the national polls as the High Court on Tuesday rejected the petition filed by them seeking stay on the verdict that sentenced them to different jail terms in the corruption cases filed the Anti-Corruption Case (ACC).

They are former State Minister and BNP chief’s adviser Amanullah Aman, standing committee member Md. Abdul Wahab, pro-BNP doctors’ leader ZM Zahid Hossain, Khagrachari district BNP president Wadud Bhuiyan and Jhenaidah district BNP president Md. Mashiur Rahman.

A HC bench of Justice Md. Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice KM Hafizul Alam passed the order on Tuesday. 

However, BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia will also not be able to contest the national polls unless the verdicts against her in two corruption cases are scrapped or stayed in appeal, said ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan.

“According to Section 66 (2) (d) of the constitution, a person will be disqualified from running in the election, if that person “has been, on conviction for a criminal offence involving moral turpitude, sentenced to imprisonment for a term of not less than two years, unless a period of five years has elapsed since his release”, lawyer Khurshid added.

On October 29, Dhaka Special Court-5 Khaleda Zia has been sentenced to seven years in jail in a graft case, eight months after being imprisoned in Zia Charitable Trust corruption case. 

On October 30, the High Court doubled the jail term handed to Khaleda Zia in the Zia Orphanage Trust Corruption case to ten years after dismissing an appeal filed by her and two fellow convicts.