Bangladesh SC to hear petitions against Khaleda Zia

Dhaka [Bangladesh], May 8 (ANI): The Bangladesh Supreme Court on Tuesday will hear two government petitions filed against former Prime Minister and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson Khaleda Zia, in Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case.

An Appellate Division bench, led by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain, would hear the appeals today, as reported by the Daily Star.

The respective counsels for the ACC, government and Zia had been given time to prepare for their arguments the apex court.

ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan said that they would place arguments elaborately on the points on which the apex court had granted the leave-to-appeal petitions against the HC order and stayed the bail of Zia.

On the other hand, Khaleda's Lawyer has planned to argue on the grounds of Zia's ill health to secure her a bail.

Khan argued that Khaleda's lawyers failed to submit supporting documents to prove that she was ill.

The High Court had granted the BNP chief a bail considering her age, social status and the gravity of her crime, which the Khan said is not a valid ground to grant bail.

He further claimed that Khaleda had misused the privilege of bail and travelled abroad during the trial violating the existing laws.

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam said that adequate preparations were done for placing arguments in support of government appeal.

Khaleda's lawyer Kayser Kamal said that BNP Chief Khaleda had submitted two concise statements on the petitions as per the Supreme Court directives.

Earlier in February Khaleda was been sentenced to five years' imprisonment in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case. The case relates to corruption over the misuse of funds in a charity named after former President Zia-ur-Rahman, the former's husband, who was assassinated in 1981. (ANI)

This story has not been edited. It has been published as provided by ANI