Zia orphanage case: Verdict on Khaleda’s appeal on Wednesday

Senior Staff Reporter Published: 14 January 2025, 12:44 PM | Updated: 14 January 2025, 01:02 PM
Zia orphanage case: Verdict on Khaleda’s appeal on Wednesday
File photo of BNP Chairperson and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia

The hearing on the appeal filed by BNP Chairperson and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia against her 10-year imprisonment sentence, handed down by the High Court in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case, concluded on Tuesday. 

A five-member bench of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Dr. Syed Refaat Ahmed, set Wednesday for the verdict.

Earlier on November 11 last year, the Supreme Court stayed the High Court's verdict, which had doubled Khaleda Zia's jail term to 10 years in the corruption case. Additionally, the Appellate Division allowed Khaleda to file two appeals challenging the High Court’s verdict.

On February 8, 2018, the Dhaka Special Judge Court-5 convicted Khaleda Zia and sentenced her to five years in prison in the case. The court also sentenced five others, including her son and BNP acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, to 10 years' imprisonment each.

The High Court extended the BNP chief's sentence to 10 years on October 30, 2018.