HC to keep serial for hearing Khaleda’s graft cases

The High Court (HC) ordered that the petitions seeking the transfer of Zia Orphanage and Zia Charitable Trust graft cases will come up for hearing maintaining the serial of the cause list, reports UNB.
The court came up with the view when principal accused of the cases BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia's counsel Khandker Mahbub Hossain placed the two petitions for fixing the date of hearing before the HC bench of Justice M Rezaul Haque and Justice M Khasruzzaman, expressing no confidence in trial court judge.
The trial judge, M Abu Jamader, issued a warrant for Khaleda's arrest for skipping court hearings on Wednesday last.
"Let the matter come up on the cause list and then it'll be heard maintaining the serial," said the court order.
The application, showing no-confidence in the trial judge of special court-3, was submitted with the HC on January 28 and it apparently remained latent.
In her petition, Khaleda sought the transfer of the two cases to another court as she expressed her no-confidence in the incumbent trial court judge apprehending that she would not get evenhanded justice.
The BNP chairperson had once got transferred the trial court judge Basudev Roy who framed charges against Khaleda and others in the two graft cases on the identical ground.
On March 19 last year, the court framed charges against the BNP chairperson, her eldest son Tarique Rahman, now living in London, and seven others in the Zia Charitable Trust and Zia Orphanage Trust graft cases.
On August 8, 2011, the ACC filed the Zia Charitable Trust graft case with Tejgaon thana accusing four people, including Khaleda Zia, of abusing power in raising funds for the trust from unknown sources.
Besides, the ACC filed the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case on July 3, 2008 with Ramna thana accusing Khaleda Zia, Tarique Rahman, and four others of misappropriating over Tk 21million which came as grants from a foreign bank for orphans.
Meanwhile, Attorney General (AG) Mahbubey Alam said on Sunday there is no bar to continuing proceedings of two graft cases against BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, reports BSS.
"It is not correct that whenever a petition regarding a case, pending before a lower court, is submitted before the High Court (HC), the proceedings will be suspended. The proceedings can go on unless HC gives any stay order on the proceedings," he said.
The AG came up with the observations at a press briefing at his office after Khaleda's lawyer claimed that a trial court has no ethical right to issue arrest warrant against the BNP chairperson.
"The warrant was issued in accordance with the law. There is no bar to continuing proceedings of the criminal case in the trial court, as there is no stay order on it from HC."
"Khaleda can now make plea for bail after surrendering before the lower court or can file a petition seeking review of the order, by which warrant was issued against her. If the lower court rejects her bail petition, she can file an appeal before HC," the AG added.