Staff Reporter :
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has been released from her 10-year sentence in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case. On Wednesday (January 15), the Appellate Division delivered the judgment in her favour.
In its ruling, the court stated that the case had been filed out of revenge, tarnishing Khaleda Zia’s honour. After 14 years of legal proceedings, Khaleda Zia and other accused, including BNP’s Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, were acquitted. The verdict was delivered unanimously by five judges of the Appellate Division, including Chief Justice Dr. Syed Refat Ahmed.
The highest court passed this judgment after accepting Khaleda Zia’s appeal against the High Court’s sentencing.
The court noted that the case had been filed with the intent to dishonour and harass Khaleda Zia.
During the hearing, Khaleda Zia’s lawyers argued that the punishment imposed on her by the High Court was a serious deviation from the law.
They also pointed out that the money allegedly embezzled from the Zia Orphanage Trust had been safely secured in an account and preserved. They claimed that the verdict was intended to keep Khaleda Zia away from participating in elections.
It is worth noting that the Zia Orphanage Trust was established in the name of BNP founder Ziaur Rahman for charitable purposes. The ‘Prime Minister’s Orphan Fund’ account was opened at the Sonali Bank’s Ramna branch from 1991 to 1996.
Foreign donations sent by the Amir of Kuwait were deposited into this account on June 9, 1991. However, the money was not allocated to any orphanage during the next two years.
