Public Prosecutor of Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Mosharraf Hossain Kajol on Sunday claimed that all legal actions including framing of charges against BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia in two cases are being taken in line with existing laws of the country and following the due rules and procedures.
“The Special Judge’s Court 3 in Dhaka had framed charges against BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, her eldest son Tarique Rahman and seven other individuals in two corruption cases involving alleged embezzlement of funds of the Zia Orphanage and Zia Charitable Trust following the legal procedure,” he said while a press briefing at ACC media room.“The Special Judge Court on March 19 had read out the charge against the former prime minister in her presence lawfully. I think she (Khaleda) sought justice from the court meaning that she claimed herself as innocent,” he added.
He also claimed that BNP lawyers were trying to delay the process as their lawyers took time from the court for 33 times in the name of leave to appeal.
ACC Director General (Legal Wing) Quamrul Hossain Mollah said that the briefing was arranged to remove the confusion that a section of media created by publishing false news in last few days.
Replying to a question, said the commission so far has not filed any politically motivated case.
“All the cases have been filed based on documents and evidence,” he added.
The briefing was arranged by the commission a day after the Jatiyatabadi Ainjibi Forum, a platform of pro-BNP lawyers, appealed to the Chief Justice to initiate an inquiry against a lower court judge for framing charges against Khaleda Zia and eight others allegedly in violation of law.
The BNP lawyers however claimed that the judge ought to have followed Section 242 of the Code of Criminal Procedure 1898 while framing the charges.
They said the procedures were not followed in the cases in question as the judge had framed the charges in his chamber and his court assistant later announced the indictment in the courtroom although Khaleda was present there.
Section 242 says, “If, after … consideration and hearing…, the magistrate is of the opinion that there is ground for presuming that the accused has committed an offence, the magistrate shall frame a
formal charge relating to the offence of which he is accused and he shall be asked whether he admits that he has committed the offence with which he is charged.”
The court on March 19 had framed charges against Khaleda Zia, her eldest son Tarique Rahman and seven other individuals in two corruption cases involving alleged embezzlement of funds of the Zia Orphanage and Zia Charitable Trust without reading out the charges against them. – Staff Reporter
Dandy Dying issue framing deferred
A Dhaka court on Sunday deferred the framing of issues in the case filed against BNP Senior Vice Chairman Tarique Rahman and others of Dandy Dying Limited for defaulting a loan of Tk 45 crore.
Judge Mohammad Rabiuzzaman of Dhaka’s Ortho Rin Adalat-1 passed the order following a petition submitted on behalf of the defendants.
Besides Tareque, other defendants are: BNP Chief Khaleda Zia’s younger son Arafat Rahman Koko, Dandy Dying Limited, detained businessman Giauddin Al Mamun and his wife Shahina Yasmin, late Major Sayed Eskander’s sons Shams Eskander and Safin Eskander, daughter Sumaiya Eskander and wife Nasrin Ahmed, Kazi Galib Ahmed, Shamsun Nahar and Masud Hasan.
Shamsun Nahar and Masud Hasan were made defendants after of defendant Mozaffar Ahmad.
On October 3 last year the court appointed Advocate Abdus Salam as the mediator of the case and as he finally failed to mediate the loan problem, the court earlier fixed March 23 to frame issue in the loan case.
On October 2, 2012, the Sonali Bank Limited filed the case against the defendants, after their company, Dandy Dying failed to pay off the principal loan plus interest, which accumulated to Tk 45.49 crore over 11 years.
The company had borrowed Tk 12.16 crore from the bank’s principal office in the capital on October 16, 2001, says the case statement. – Court Correspondent
