Charge hearing deferred in Zia charitable & Zia orphanage trusts cases
Sunday, 16 February 2014
The charge framing hearing against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and eight others in Zia charitable trust and Zia orphanage trust cases has been deferred again by court. The Special Judge’s Court-3, Dhaka, on Sunday deferred to March 19 the hearing on charge framing against Khaleda Zia and eight others in connection with the two graft cases after Khaleda’s lawyer submitted two separate petitions seeking deferment of the charge framing hearing. With this, the court adjourned for 19 times the Zia orphanage trust graft and 10 times the Zia charitable trust cases. Khaleda, her elder son and BNP’s Senior Vice Chairman Tarique Rahman and four others are accused in the Zia orphanage trust case while Khaleda and three others are accused in the other case. Following hearing over the petition, Judge (in-charge) Md Rezaul Islam passed the order around 11am. Anti-Corruption Commission filed Zia orphanage trust case against Khaleda, Tarique and four others on charge of embezzling Tk 20.1 million by forming a “fake” trust on July 3, 2009, while the graft watchdog filed Zia charitable trust case against Khaleda and three others on charge of abusing power in setting up the charity named after late president Ziaur Rahman on Aug 8, 2011, according to a news agency.