DHAKA: A Dhaka court adjourned till September 10 for the next hearing on BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia and others in the Zia Charitable and Orphanage Trust graft cases.

Third Special Judge Abu Ahmed Jamader of the Bakshibazar makeshift court setup on Alia Madrasa premises fixed the date on Thursday.

During day’s proceedings, defense lawyers completed the cross examination of the complainant’s witnesses Sonali Bank senior officer Insan Uddin Ahmed and cash officer Shahjahan Khan on the Zia Charitable Trust graft case.

Later, the court recorded deposition of three other witnesses of seized list on the case. They are Pubali Bank senior principal officer SM Islmail and Janata Bank (Saat Masjid Road branch) GM Sheikh Maqbul and Fahmida Rahman.

With the deposition recording of the trio, seven witnesses gave the deposition in the Zia Charitable Trust graft case. And four witnesses were also cross-examined by defense lawyers.

On August 10, another accused Ziaul Islam Munna’s lawyer Aminul Islam cross-examined him in the Zia Charitable Trust Case.

Zia Orphanage Trust Graft Case

The Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the graft case on July 3, 2008 with Ramna Police Station accusing Khaleda, her eldest son Tarique Rahman and four others of misappropriating Tk over 2.10-crore, which came as grants from a foreign bank for orphans.

The other accused are former BNP lawmaker Kazi Saleemul Haque, businessperson Sharfuddin Ahmed, Khaleda’s former principal secretary Kamal Uddin Siddiqui and Momenur Rahman.

Zia Charitable Trust Graft Case

On August 8, 2011, ACC filed the case with Tejgaon Police Station accusing four people, including Khaleda Zia, of abusing power in raising funds for the trust from unknown sources.

The other accused in the case 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 Dhaka City Corporation.

BDST: 1800 HRS, SEP 03, 2015
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