Dhaka, Jan 31 (Just News): A defence lawyer in the case of Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Charitable Trust case on Wednesday informed a special court in Dhaka that the defence lawyers were subjected to harassment outside the court.
Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia, her former political secretary Harris Chowdhury, his former personal assistant Ziaul Islam Munna and former Dhaka mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka’s assistant personal secretary Monirul Islam Khan are the accused in the case.
Anti-Corruption Commission lodged the case on August 8, 2011 with the Tejgaon police for raising funds for the trust abusing their power during Khaleda’s tenure as the prime minister between 2001 and 2006.
Advocate Md Aminul Islam, who represented Ziaul in the case before the Dhaka special judge’s court-5, while wrapping up his second day’s arguments defending his client, told the court that the lawyers defending the accused were being harassed now.
He informed judge Md Akhteruzzaman that senior jurist and former speaker Jamiruddin Sircar was scheduled to come to the court, but law enforcers raided his house twice after 2:00am on Wednesday.
He said Sircar had informed him over telephone that the law enforcers ‘had directed him to stay at home at 8:00am.’
‘They (law enforcers) harass [us] on our way to the court,’ he said.
Khaleda Zia, Ziaul and Monirul were present in the courtroom. Harris is still absconding.
At the outset of the day’s proceedings, Ziaul’s lawyer Aminul Islam Khan resumed his arguments and submitted that the ACC had alleged that there was no work in the name of the trust and there was no transaction after 2006.
But, he submitted, 42 kathas of land was bought on January 19, 2005 in the name of the trust and there was structure there.
He submitted that after 2005, a violent movement led by Awami League against the BNP government began and the then caretaker government took over the power.
‘There was no chance of transaction after the movement,’ he added.
Referring to Tuesday’s submission by the prosecution in which the ACC public prosecutor claimed that Khaleda Zia, while forming the trust, had concealed her post of prime minister, Aminul argued that every person had her official and personal designations and ranks, and that Khaleda would not write her prime minister’s post in opening bank account as it was her private work.
ACC public prosecutor Mosharraf Hossain Kajal, at this point, opposed the issue and argued that the defence had brought the PM’s issue irrelevantly.
He asked the defence lawyer to keep his arguments within the facts and documents.
Meanwhile, lawyers from both the sides locked in a heated exchange of words.
The judge at this point at around 11:55am asked the defence lawyer to continue his arguments with relevant facts.
As both the sides continued exchange of heated words, the judge left the courtroom.
He returned to the courtroom within minutes and asked both the sides to uphold respect of all and reminded them that Khaleda Zia, three times’ prime minister, was in the court and her respect should be ensured by all.
Advocate Aminul Islam then continued his arguments defending his client.
His arguments remained incomplete when the court adjourned the hearing until Thursday.-New Age
(Justnews/ys/2350)
