DHAKA: Expressing concern about her security during the hartal, BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia will not appear before the court on Wednesday (August 31).

She was asked to appear before court in Zia Orphanage Trust and Zia Charitable Trust graft cases but denied on Tuesday (August 30) showing security reason.

The chairperson’s lawyer and BNP central committee legal affairs secretary advocate Sanaullah Miah confirmed the matter to banglanews.

The hearing will be held at the Special Judge’s Court-3 of Judge Abu Ahmed Jomadar setup on jail department premises in city.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has called dawn-to-dusk hartal for Wednesday protesting the upholding of the death penalty of its leader war criminal Mir Quasem Ali for his war crimes during the liberation war of Bangladesh in 1971.

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: 1733 HRS, AUG 30, 2016
BD/RR