The High Court cleared Khaleda Zia, the BNP chairperson, in the corruption case against the Zia Charitable Trust.
A judge’s court fined Khaleda Tk 1 million and sentenced her to seven years in prison six years ago, during the Awami League government’s rule.
In response to Khaleda’s appeal on Wednesday, the bench of Justices AKM Asaduzzaman and Syed Enayet Hossain reversed the ruling.
Attorneys Zainul Abedin and Kayser Kamal represented Khaleda in court, Deputy Attorney General Md. Jashim Sarkar represented the state, and attorney Asif Hasan represented the Anti-Corruption Commission.
Following the verdict, Kayser stated that the High Court had also cleared Khaleda and the other two defendants in the case.
They are Monirul Islam Khan, who served as former mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka’s personal secretary, and Ziaul Islam, who served as Haris Chowdhury’s personal secretary at the time.
On February 8, 2018, the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case sentenced former prime minister Khaleda to five years in prison. The High Court then considered the case’s appeal and increased the jail term to ten years.
On October 29, 2018, the Zia Charitable Trust found Khaleda guilty of graft and sentenced her to seven years in prison. On April 30 of the following year, the High Court granted a petition to appeal the case, but no hearings took place.
The BNP chief received an executive order to leave jail during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The government extended the order every six months, but it kept her from traveling overseas.
President Md. Shahabuddin remitted her sentence on August 6 in accordance with Article 49 of the Constitution following the overthrow of the Awami League government during a large-scale protest.
According to a Bangabhaban statement, the president held talks with leaders of the Anti-discrimination Student Movement, civil society members, and other political figures before making the decision.
Presidents may “grant pardons, reprieves, and respites and remit, suspend, or commute any sentence passed by any court, tribunal, or other authority,” according to Article 49.
According to the law, the president’s clemency may remit a sentence, but the conviction remains intact. A court-convicted person cannot run for office for five years after their release.
Kayser explained the rationale behind the appeal, stating that Khaleda Zia wishes for the court to declare her innocent. For this reason, we have requested an expedited hearing in the case of the Charitable Trust.
