SC rejects Khaleda\\\'s appeals in 2 graft cases

The Supreme Court (SC) has rejected two leave to appeals filed by BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia against the High Court verdict upholding the orders of a trial court in 2 graft cases. An Appellate Division bench passed the order on Monday. The full bench, headed by Chief Justice M Muzammel Hossain, fixed the date for order after concluding the hearing on both the leave to appeal petitions on Sunday. Advocate Jainul Abedin and Advocate AJ Mohammad Ali appeared for Khaleda Zia in the day’s hearing, while Attorney General Mahbubey Alam stood for the state. On October 14, Khaleda filed the leave to appeal petitions with the SC against the HC order that rejected her petitions against the 2 graft cases filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). On August 8, 2011, the ACC filed Zia Charitable Trust graft case with Tejgaon Police Station accusing four people, including Khaleda, of abusing power in raising funds for the trust from unknown sources. Besides, the ACC filed Zia Orphanage Trust graft case on July 3, 2008, with Ramna Police Station accusing Khaleda Zia, her eldest son Tarique Rahman and four other people of misappropriating over Tk 21 million that came as grants for orphans from a foreign bank. Meanwhile, on March 19 this year, the Special Judge’s Court-3 of Dhaka framed charges against Khaleda Zia, Tarique Rahman, also the senior vice chairman of the BNP, and 7 others in the Zia Charitable Trust and Zia Orphanage Trust cases, according to a news agency.