Dhaka-BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia yesterday appealed with the Supreme Court seeking stay order on the trial proceedings of the Zia Charitable Trust graft case against her.Barrister Raghib Rauf Chowdhury, a counsel for BNP chief, said that his client filed the appeal with the related branch of the Supreme Court as the High Court on Sunday rejected her two revision petitions seeking cancellation of the lower court order that was also rejecting her two petitions in the Zia Charitable Trust case. The apex court is likely to hear on the petitions next week, Chowdhury added.
An HC bench comprising Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Amir Hossain on Sunday rejected two petitions of BNP chief paved the way for the trial court to run the trial proceedings against her in the case.
On April 17, Judge Abu Ahmed Jamadar of Dhaka’s Special Judge’s Court-3 set up at the playground of Govt Alia Madrasah in the capital’s Bakshibazar rejected the two petitions – one for cross-examining the investigation officer of the case again and the other for showing the case document under section 172 (2) of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
The following day, Barrister Ragib Rouf Chowdhury, on behalf of the BNP chief, filed the two revision petitions with the High Court that also sought a stay on the case proceedings.
One petition seeks fresh cross-examination of the investigation officer of the Zia Charitable Trust graft case, while the other wants the case diary scrutinised.
On August 8, 2011, the ACC filed the Zia Charitable Trust graft case with Tejgaon Police Station accusing four people, including Khaleda Zia, of abusing power in raising funds for the trust from unknown sources.
On January 16, 2012, Harun-or-Rashid, investigation officer of the case, submitted chargesheet putting names of four people in the case-STAFF REPORTER
