Court to hold Khaleda trial inside jail house

The government has decided to hold the trial of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in the Zia Charitable Trust corruption case at central jail in old part of the city after setting a temporary court there, reports UNB.

The ministry for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs issued a gazette notification in this regard Tuesday afternoon.

The notice said that the place of Special Judge Court-5 where the trial proceedings of Zia Charitable Trust case was in progress has now been shifted to the administrative building of central jail in Old Dhaka for security reason.

The Special Judge Court-5 has been hearing the case in the makeshift court on Government Alia Madrasah premises in Bakshibazar area.

Meanwhile, Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) lawyer Mosharraf Hossain Kajol said "Khaleda has been skipping court appearances since February for health ground. Under this circumstance, the government has decided to shift the court to the jail."

BNP chairperson is now staying in central jail in Nazimuddin Road of Old Dhaka, serving five years' rigorous imprisonment as she was convicted in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case on February 08.

The government took the decision as ACC applied for it, he said.

The hearing of Zia Charitable Trust graft case was last held on February 01.

On August 08, 2011, Anti-Corruption Commission filed the Zia Charitable Trust graft case with Tejgaon Police Station accusing four people, including Khaleda Zia, of abuse of power in raising funds for the trust from unknown sources.