A court here on Monday adjourned till June 18 the hearing on Zia Orphanage Trust and Zia Charitable Trust graft cases against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.
Judge Abu Ahmed Jamadar of Dhaka Special Judge’s Court-3 finished hearing the deposition given by Khaleda in Zia Charitable Trust graft case and fixed the date for cross-examination of the deposition in response to a time petition filed by Khaleda’s lawyers on Monday.
The court will also hear the deposition of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) deputy director Harun-ur-Rashid, who is the plaintiff of the graft case against Khaleda, on that day.
In connection with Zia Orphanage Trust graft case, the court rejected the defence lawyer’s petition for rejecting the deposition given by plaintiff of the case, ACC deputy director Harun-ur-Rashid, in five dates in absence of accused Khaleda.
Khaleda’s lawyer Advocate Khandker Mahbub Hossain told reporters after the hearing that they will move a petition to the High Court against the tribunal’s rejection of their petition to reject the plaintiff’s deposition.
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.
ACC deputy director Harunur Rashid, also an investigation officer of the case, pressed charges against the accused on January 16, 2012.
Besides, the ACC filed the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case on July 3, 2008 with Ramna Police Station accusing Khaleda Zia, her eldest son Tarique Rahman, now living in the UK after securing bail, and four others for misappropriating over Tk 2.10 crore which came as grants from a foreign bank for orphans.
On August 5, 2010, Harunur Rashid submitted a charge-sheet to the court in the case against six people, including BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia.
