The Supreme Court has acquitted BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, and all other individuals involved in their appeal concerning the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case.
A five-member bench of the Appellate Division, led by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed, delivered the ruling on Wednesday, overturning the jail sentences handed down by the High Court in 2018.
This verdict means that Khaleda Zia has been acquitted in both corruption cases against her, clearing the path for her to participate in the upcoming parliamentary elections.
Khaleda’s legal counsel, Barrister Kaiser Kamal, expressed on Tuesday, when the verdict date was set: “Some judges in the judiciary, during the last government’s tenure, tried to create obstacles for [BNP] leader Khaleda Zia as part of a political plot.”
Referring to the 2018 parliamentary election, he stated that the Appellate Division had instructed the High Court to expedite the appeal in four months to prevent Khaleda from contesting the election. He also emphasized that the case was filed with malicious intent, driven by personal grievances and political revenge, marking an unprecedented situation not only in Bangladesh but in the entire Indo-Pakistan subcontinent.
On July 3, 2007, the Anti-Corruption Commission filed charges against Khaleda and other suspects for embezzling Tk 21 million from the Zia Orphanage Trust.
On February 8, 2018, Special Judge Md Akhtaruzzaman sentenced Khaleda to five years in prison in connection with the case. Tarique Rahman, former Magura MP Kazi Salimul Haque Kamal, businessman Sharfuddin Ahmed, Kamal Uddin Siddiqui, and Mominur Rahman each received 10-year prison sentences.
On February 20, 2018, Khaleda filed an appeal against the verdict. Later, in March, the Anti-Corruption Commission sought an extension of her sentence through a request to the High Court.
In response to the ACC’s request, the High Court, consisting of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman, extended Khaleda’s sentence from five to 10 years on October 30, 2018.
On November 11, the Appellate Division suspended Khaleda Zia’s 10-year prison sentence in the Zia Orphanage Trust case and allowed her to appeal against the High Court’s verdict. The court also instructed Khaleda to submit the appeal summary within two weeks. A three-member bench of the Appellate Division, led by Justice Md Ashfaqul Islam, issued the order.
The Chamber Court set November 10 for the hearing of Khaleda’s ‘leave to appeal’ against her 10-year jail sentence in the Zia Orphanage Trust case.
