DHAKA: A Dhaka court adjourned till September 17 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 three witnesses of seized list of the Zia Charitable Trust graft case and Sonali Bank deputy general manager (DGM) M Hafizur Rahman, another witness on the case, gave his deposition.

ACC lawyer advocate Mosharraf Hossain Kajal said defense lawyers will cross-examine him on September 17 and then the court will record next deposition.

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, prime accused in Zia Trust cases, appeared before the court during Thursday’s hearing.

On September 3, 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 Sonali Bank DGM, eight witnesses gave their depositions 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: 1640 HRS, SEP 10, 2015
RS/SMS

** Khaleda appears in court