Khaleda cases hearing adjourned till Aug 3

A Dhaka court on Thursday adjourned till August 3 hearing on the Zia Orphanage Trust and Zia Charitable Trust graft cases against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia. Judge Abu Ahmed Jamadar of Dhaka Special Judge’s Court-3 fixed the date in response to a time petition filed by Khaleda’s lawyer Khandaker Mahbub Hossain. The court fixed the date after the hearing of partial statement of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC)’s deputy director Harunur Rashid, who is the plaintiff of Zia Charitable Trust graft case. On Zia Orphanage Trust graft case, they appealed for the time petition. Khaleda reached the makeshift court, set up on a parade ground (Alia Madrasa playground) in Bakshibazar near Dhaka Central Jail-1 directorate Bakshibazar area, around 10:45am. Her counsel Sanaullah Mia said on Wednesday that Khaleda was respectful to law, and she was likely to appear before the court on Thursday. On June 18, the Special Judge's Court-3 adjourned till July 23 the hearing on the two graft cases against Khaleda in her presence. On August 8, 2011, the ACC filed the Zia Charitable Trust graft case with Tejgaon Police Station accusing four people, including Khaleda Zia, of abusing power in raising funds for the trust from unknown sources. ACC deputy director Harunur Rashid, also an investigation officer of the case, pressed charges against the accused on January 16, 2012. Besides, the ACC filed the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case on July 3, 2008, with Ramna Police Station accusing Khaleda, her eldest son Tarique Rahman, now living in the UK after securing bail, and four others for misappropriating over Tk21 million (Tk2.10 crore) which came as grants from a  foreign bank for orphans. On August 5, 2010, Harunur Rashid submitted a charge-sheet to the court in the case against six people, including Khaleda Zia, according to a news agency.