Khaleda Zia jailed for 7 yrs in another case

Khaleda Zia jailed for 7 yrs in another case

Dhaka, Oct 29 (Just News): BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia and three others including Harris Chowdhury, former political secretary to the then PM Khaleda Zia were sentenced to seven years’ rigorous imprisonment in Zia Charitable Trust case.

Khaleda Zia and the other convicts were also fined Tk 10 lakh each, in default of which they will have to serve six more months in jail, according to the verdict.

This is the highest punishment under the existing law.

The court also ordered to attach in favour of the state the 42 kathas of land which was purchased under the name of the trust.

While delivering the verdict, the court observed that Khaleda Zia, now 72, should be given the highest punishment for showing the audacity to form a trust while she was prime minister and collect funds for it from people including her own party men, for personal use.

There were no defence lawyers present at the court today.

Judge Md Akhtaruzzaman of the Special Court-5 passed the verdict after the Supreme Court today rejected a leave-to-appeal petition filed by Khaleda Zia challenging the High Court judgement that allowed a lower court to continue trial in the graft case in her absence.

The court framed charges against Khaleda Zia and the three others in the case on March 19, 2014.

The three others are: Abul Harris Chowdhury, former political secretary to Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, Ziaul Islam Munna, assistant private secretary (APS) to Harris, and Monirul Islam Khan, APS to former Dhaka City mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) lodged the Zia Charitable Trust case against Khaleda Zia and three others with Tejgaon Police Station in August 2011. According to the case statement, the former prime minister and three others abused their power and raised funds for the trust from unknown sources.

Khaleda Zia landed in jail on February after a special court sentenced her to five years' rigorous imprisonment in Zia Orphanage Trust case.

(Just News/ys/1300hr)