A Dhaka court on Wednesday deferred recording the depositions of the witnesses in the Zia Charitable Trust and Zia Orphanage Trust graft cases to October 29. The two cases were filed against BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia and eight others.
Jude Abu Ahmed Jamadar of Dhaka’s Special Judge Court-3 fixed the new date. Earlier, four more witnesses testified in the Zia Charitable Trust graft case and that rose the number witnesses testified in the case to 17.Anti Corruption Commission’s deputy director Chowdhury MN Alam, Sonali Bank’s Cantonment branch cashier Walid Ahmed, Shahjalal Islami Bank’s Kushtia branch senior officer Mamunuzzaman and Metro Makers’ Award Development Limited’s former senior officer Saiful Islam testified on Thursday.
The makeshift court was set up on the playground of Government Alia Madrasa in Bakshibazar area of the city. The court recorded the depositions of the four witnesses in absence of Begum Khaleda Zia. Her counsel Sanaullah Mia appeared to the court on her behalf. He said, her client is ill and she in London for her medical treatment.
On August 8, 2011, the ACC filed Zia Charitable Trust graft case with Tejgaon Police Station accusing four people, including Khaleda Zia, of abusing official position in raising funds for the trust allegedly from unknown sources. The four other accused persons are former BNP lawmaker Kazi Salemul Haque, businessman Sharfuddin Ahmed, Khaleda Zia’s former Principal Secretary Kamal Uddin Siddiqui and Momenur Rahman.
Besides, the ACC filed the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case on July 3, 2008 with Ramna Model Police Station accusing Khaleda Zia, her son Tareque Rahman, now living in UK and four others for embezzling over Tk 2.10 crore which came as grant from a foreign bank for orphans. The other accused persons are Harris Chowdhury, Ziaul Islam Munna, Assistant Private Secretary (APS) to Harris, Monirul Islam Khan and APS to Sadeque Hossain Khoka, mayor of the erstwhile un-divided Dhaka City Corporation. – Special Correspondent
