Khaleda acquitted in one case, discharged from another

The High Court on Wednesday acquitted BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in the Zia Charitable Trust case and a Dhaka court discharged her from the Barapukuria coal mine graft case, report agencies.

The High Court bench, comprising Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Syed Enayet Hossain, granted the acquittal after accepting a petition filed by Khaleda Zia's lawyers.

The court also overturned the lower court's verdict, which had previously sentenced Khaleda Zia and two others in the same case.

The two co-accused who were also acquitted are Ziaul Islam Munna, the assistant private secretary to Harris Chowdhury (former political secretary to then-Prime Minister Khaleda Zia), and Monirul Islam Khan, the assistant private secretary to former Dhaka city mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka.

Senior Advocate Jainul Abedin and Advocate Barrister Kaiser Kamal stood for Khaleda Zia while Advocate Asif Hasan represented the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

Asif Hasan said the court granted petitions of four people including Khaleda Zia and scrapped their jail sentences.

Meanwhile, Dhaka Special Judge Court-3 discharged Begum Khaleda Zia, former ministers Air Vice Marshal (retd) Altaf Hossain Chowdhury and Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain from Barapukuria coal mine graft case.

Judge Md Abu Taher of the court passed the order, allowing separate discharge petitions filed for the three accused.

The court, however, framed charges against Moajjem Hossain, Nazrul Islam, Moinul Ahsan and Md Sirajul Islam Chowdhury, initiating the trial officially.