The Appellate Division has granted BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia's leave to appeal against the High Court's 10-year jail sentence in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case. At the same time, the court has suspended the 10-year sentence given to Khaleda Zia.
On Monday (November 11), a three-member bench led by Senior Justice Md. Ashfaqul Islam of the Appellate Division gave the order. The Appellate Division also ordered the submission of a summary of the case within two weeks.
Earlier yesterday, the ACC said that no money was embezzled in the Zia Orphanage. On November 4, in view of Khaleda Zia's application, Chamber Judge Justice Md. Rezaul Haque of the Appellate Division had fixed November 10 for the hearing on the two leave to appeals.
On March 14, 2019, Khaleda Zia filed two leave to appeals (applications seeking permission to appeal) in the Appellate Division.
On February 8, 2018, Dhaka Special Judge Court-5, set up at the parade ground of the Prisons Department in Bakshibazar, Judge Dr. Md. Akhtaruzzaman sentenced Khaleda Zia to five years in prison in the Orphanage Trust case.
At the same time, the court sentenced Khaleda's son and acting BNP chairperson Tarique Rahman, former Magura MP Kazi Salimul Haque Kamal, businessman Sharfuddin Ahmed, Dr. Kamal Uddin Siddiqui and Mominur Rahman to 10 years in prison each.
Later, Khaleda Zia appealed to the relevant branch of the High Court on February 20 of that year. On March 28 of the same year, the High Court issued a rule on the ACC's application seeking an increase in Khaleda's sentence.
On October 30, 2018, Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman comprised the High Court bench increased Khaleda Zia's sentence from five years to 10 years.
The court also rejected the appeals of Khaleda Zia seeking acquittal from the five-year sentence and former Magura MP Kazi Salimul Haque Kamal alias Kazi Kamal and businessman Sharfuddin Ahmed seeking acquittal from the 10-year sentence.
The day before the High Court verdict, on October 29, 2018, Judge Md. Akhtaruzzaman of Dhaka's Special Judge's Court-5, set up in Room 7 of the Administrative Building of the Old Central Jail, gave a verdict. In the verdict, Khaleda Zia was sentenced to seven years in prison in the Zia Charitable Trust case. At the same time, she was fined Tk. 10 lakh and sentenced to another six months in prison in default. The same sentence was given to the other three accused in the case.
Later, on November 18 of the same year, Khaleda Zia appealed against the verdict in the High Court. On November 4, the High Court division took an initiative to hear the appeal against the seven-year sentence in the Zia Charitable Trust case. As part of that, an application was made to prepare a paper book (case summary) at its own expense. The High Court has granted that application. Now that the paper book is prepared, the appeal will be heard.
Although the President had commuted the sentence of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia in these two cases.
In this regard, Khaleda Zia's lawyers claimed that the BNP Chairperson's sentence has been commuted. Why is the appeal hearing still being held? We said that she (Khaleda Zia) respects the law. The President has commuted it. There is a provision for pardon. Khaleda Zia does not believe in pardon. She did not commit the crime. She did not even ask for forgiveness. Therefore, she has instructed the lawyers to deal with it legally. #