SC clears way for trial of Khaleda

The Supreme Court yesterday upheld a High Court order that had cleared the way for a lower court to continue trial proceedings of Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.

A five-member bench of the Appellate Division of the SC headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha dismissed a petition filed by the BNP chief.

In the appeal, Khaleda challenged the HC order that rejected another plea, seeking to expunge the complainant's deposition from the case.

There is no legal bar to proceed with the trial of the BNP chief in the case at the lower court following the SC order, Anti-Corruption Commission lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan told The Daily Star.

On June 29 last year, the HC summarily rejected the petition filed by Khaleda, seeking its directive on the lower court to expunge deposition of Harun-or-Rashid, complainant and also investigation officer of the case, saying there was no illegality of recording statement of Harun in the case filed by the ACC.

Khaleda could cross-examine Harun and she would not be prejudiced in the case, the HC bench of Justice Md Moinul Islam Chowdhury and Justice JBM Hassan observed.

The ACC had lodged the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case in 2008.

According to the charge sheet in the case, Khaleda, her son Tarique Rahman and four others embezzled Tk 2.1 crore by forming the charity that exists only on paper.