Zia Trust case
Warrant against Khaleda Zia
Staff Reporter :
Arrest warrant has been issued against BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia. A Dhaka court on Wednesday issued the warrant for skipping court hearing in the Zia Orphanage and Zia Charitable Trust graft cases.
Dhaka’s Metropolitan Special Judge Court-3 scrapped the bail of the former prime minister, as she failed to appear in the hearing scheduled for yesterday. The court was set up on the premises of Madrasah-e-Alia at Bakshibazar in the city, and the trials of the cases filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) are being held at the special court.
Judge Md Abu Ahmed Zamadar, the third special session judge, passed the order canceling the time
petition filed by Khaleda Zia’s counsels. The court also issued arrest warrant against former BNP MP Kazi Salimul Haque Kamal and businessman Sharfuddin Ahmed in the cases. Hours after the order, the arrest warrant was sent to three police stations– Ramna, Cantonment and Gulshan. Khaleda Zia’s residence is located in Gulshan-2 area. Having failed to come out of her political office at Gulshan to join a planned rally in the city on January 5, she announced the ongoing countywide blockade programme and remained confined in the office. Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) are being held at the special court. Judge Md Abu Ahmed Zamadar, the third special session judge, passed the order canceling the time petition filed by Khaleda Zia’s counsels. The court also issued arrest warrant against former BNP MP Kazi Salimul Haque Kamal and businessman Sharfuddin Ahmed in the cases.
Hours after the order, the arrest warrant was sent to three police stations– Ramna, Cantonment and Gulshan. Khaleda Zia’s residence is located in Gulshan-2 area. Having failed to come out of her political office at Gulshan to join a planned rally in the city on January 5, she announced the ongoing countywide blockade programme and remained confined in the office.
Security around the Gulshan office was tightened following the issuance of the arrest warrant. The number of law enforcers, both in uniform and plainclothes, was increased around the office.
The court also asked Advocate Sanaullah Mia, who is representing Khaleda Zia’s son Tarique Rahman, another accused and senior Vice-Chairman of the BNP, to produce him before the court on March 4, the next date for the hearing of the cases. Tarique Rahman has been living in London since 2008.
After the special court sat for the day’s proceedings at its makeshift court, the defense counsels moved separate adjournment petitions for the two graft cases. They told the court that the BNP chief was being prevented from leaving her Gulshan office by police and she skipped the deposition hearing for security reasons. They also submitted non-appearance petitions on behalf of Khaleda Zia. In the petitions, they also cited a leave-to-appeal petition in the High Court.
After hearing the petitions, the court rejected her bail plea and issued arrest warrant saying “Lawyers of Khaleda Zia were asked to produce their client before the court on Wednesday but they did not do that.” Many hearing dates meanwhile passed out in the two cases, but the BNP chief appeared before the court only on seven occasions, the court added.
Later, the court started recording deposition of deputy director of the ACC Harun-ur-Rashid, also plaintiff of the cases. Khaleda Zia’s lawyers expressed lack of confidence in the judge after he continued with the witness deposition.
Meanwhile, separate petitions were submitted on behalf of Kamal and Sharfuddin seeking adjournment of the proceedings of the cases until the disposal of a writ petition expressing no-confidence on Judge Abu Ahmed Jomadar of the trial court, which is pending with the High Court now.
Khaleda Zia was apprised of the court order, “Madam was informed about the court order. She is not worried over the court order,” said her press secretary Maruf Kamal Khan Sohel. He also said that the lawyers would express formal reaction over the issue. Some pro-BNP senior lawyers sat at a meeting at former justice TH Khan’s residence at Mohammadpur in the city in the evening to work out the next course of action in the wake of the issuance of the arrest warrant. BNP standing committee members Barrister Jamiruddin Sircar and Barrister Rafiqul Islam Miah, attended the meeting, among others.
Police besieged the residence of TH Khan when the meeting was going on. Later, the law enforcers moved out from there following the end of the meeting.
On the other hand, BNP said that the government is moving towards arresting Khaleda Zia in an attempt to stop the ongoing movement. Rather, such a move would lead to the downfall of the Awami League regime.
Issuing the threat, the party Joint-Secretary General Salahuddin Ahmed in the statement said the ongoing movement would not stopp if Khaleda Zia is arrested. He asked the leaders and workers of BNP and 20-party alliance to intensify the movement.
The ACC filed the Zia Orphanage graft case on July 3 in 2008 with Ramna Police Station accusing Khaleda Zia, her son Tarique Rahman and four others of misappropriating over Tk 21 millions which came as grants from a foreign bank for orphans. The other case was filed on August 8 in 2011 with Tejgaon Police Station accusing four people, including Khaleda Zia, of abusing power and misappropriating Tk 3.15 crore in raising funds for the charitable trust from unknown sources.
Judge Bashudev Roy of the special court on March 19 in 2014 framed charges against the BNP chief and eight others in the two graft cases. Khaleda Zia submitted two petitions with the High Court expressing no confidence on the judge. The HC upheld the indictment order rejecting Khaleda Zia’s petitions on April 23 the same year.
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on November 24 cleared the way for the lower court to continue the trial proceedings against the BNP chief by rejecting her two appeals challenging two HC decisions regarding acceptance of charges and charge framing in the case.
On December last year, Abu Ahmed Zamadar was appointed as the new judge at the court after the government transferred Basudev Roy to the position of a special judge in Patuakhali. On December 24, Khaleda Zia attended the hearing in Bakshibazar for the last time. Supporters of BNP and the ruling Awami League engaged in a clash for over an hour on that day.
Arrest warrant has been issued against BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia. A Dhaka court on Wednesday issued the warrant for skipping court hearing in the Zia Orphanage and Zia Charitable Trust graft cases.
Dhaka’s Metropolitan Special Judge Court-3 scrapped the bail of the former prime minister, as she failed to appear in the hearing scheduled for yesterday. The court was set up on the premises of Madrasah-e-Alia at Bakshibazar in the city, and the trials of the cases filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) are being held at the special court.
Judge Md Abu Ahmed Zamadar, the third special session judge, passed the order canceling the time
petition filed by Khaleda Zia’s counsels. The court also issued arrest warrant against former BNP MP Kazi Salimul Haque Kamal and businessman Sharfuddin Ahmed in the cases. Hours after the order, the arrest warrant was sent to three police stations– Ramna, Cantonment and Gulshan. Khaleda Zia’s residence is located in Gulshan-2 area. Having failed to come out of her political office at Gulshan to join a planned rally in the city on January 5, she announced the ongoing countywide blockade programme and remained confined in the office. Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) are being held at the special court. Judge Md Abu Ahmed Zamadar, the third special session judge, passed the order canceling the time petition filed by Khaleda Zia’s counsels. The court also issued arrest warrant against former BNP MP Kazi Salimul Haque Kamal and businessman Sharfuddin Ahmed in the cases.
Hours after the order, the arrest warrant was sent to three police stations– Ramna, Cantonment and Gulshan. Khaleda Zia’s residence is located in Gulshan-2 area. Having failed to come out of her political office at Gulshan to join a planned rally in the city on January 5, she announced the ongoing countywide blockade programme and remained confined in the office.
Security around the Gulshan office was tightened following the issuance of the arrest warrant. The number of law enforcers, both in uniform and plainclothes, was increased around the office.
The court also asked Advocate Sanaullah Mia, who is representing Khaleda Zia’s son Tarique Rahman, another accused and senior Vice-Chairman of the BNP, to produce him before the court on March 4, the next date for the hearing of the cases. Tarique Rahman has been living in London since 2008.
After the special court sat for the day’s proceedings at its makeshift court, the defense counsels moved separate adjournment petitions for the two graft cases. They told the court that the BNP chief was being prevented from leaving her Gulshan office by police and she skipped the deposition hearing for security reasons. They also submitted non-appearance petitions on behalf of Khaleda Zia. In the petitions, they also cited a leave-to-appeal petition in the High Court.
After hearing the petitions, the court rejected her bail plea and issued arrest warrant saying “Lawyers of Khaleda Zia were asked to produce their client before the court on Wednesday but they did not do that.” Many hearing dates meanwhile passed out in the two cases, but the BNP chief appeared before the court only on seven occasions, the court added.
Later, the court started recording deposition of deputy director of the ACC Harun-ur-Rashid, also plaintiff of the cases. Khaleda Zia’s lawyers expressed lack of confidence in the judge after he continued with the witness deposition.
Meanwhile, separate petitions were submitted on behalf of Kamal and Sharfuddin seeking adjournment of the proceedings of the cases until the disposal of a writ petition expressing no-confidence on Judge Abu Ahmed Jomadar of the trial court, which is pending with the High Court now.
Khaleda Zia was apprised of the court order, “Madam was informed about the court order. She is not worried over the court order,” said her press secretary Maruf Kamal Khan Sohel. He also said that the lawyers would express formal reaction over the issue. Some pro-BNP senior lawyers sat at a meeting at former justice TH Khan’s residence at Mohammadpur in the city in the evening to work out the next course of action in the wake of the issuance of the arrest warrant. BNP standing committee members Barrister Jamiruddin Sircar and Barrister Rafiqul Islam Miah, attended the meeting, among others.
Police besieged the residence of TH Khan when the meeting was going on. Later, the law enforcers moved out from there following the end of the meeting.
On the other hand, BNP said that the government is moving towards arresting Khaleda Zia in an attempt to stop the ongoing movement. Rather, such a move would lead to the downfall of the Awami League regime.
Issuing the threat, the party Joint-Secretary General Salahuddin Ahmed in the statement said the ongoing movement would not stopp if Khaleda Zia is arrested. He asked the leaders and workers of BNP and 20-party alliance to intensify the movement.
The ACC filed the Zia Orphanage graft case on July 3 in 2008 with Ramna Police Station accusing Khaleda Zia, her son Tarique Rahman and four others of misappropriating over Tk 21 millions which came as grants from a foreign bank for orphans. The other case was filed on August 8 in 2011 with Tejgaon Police Station accusing four people, including Khaleda Zia, of abusing power and misappropriating Tk 3.15 crore in raising funds for the charitable trust from unknown sources.
Judge Bashudev Roy of the special court on March 19 in 2014 framed charges against the BNP chief and eight others in the two graft cases. Khaleda Zia submitted two petitions with the High Court expressing no confidence on the judge. The HC upheld the indictment order rejecting Khaleda Zia’s petitions on April 23 the same year.
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on November 24 cleared the way for the lower court to continue the trial proceedings against the BNP chief by rejecting her two appeals challenging two HC decisions regarding acceptance of charges and charge framing in the case.
On December last year, Abu Ahmed Zamadar was appointed as the new judge at the court after the government transferred Basudev Roy to the position of a special judge in Patuakhali. On December 24, Khaleda Zia attended the hearing in Bakshibazar for the last time. Supporters of BNP and the ruling Awami League engaged in a clash for over an hour on that day.
