Decision on Khaleda's bail order today

Staff Correspondent: The Appellate Division will deliver its judgment on Monday on the leave-to-appeal petitions filed by the government and Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) against a High Court order that granted bail to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in Zia Orphanage Trust case.

A four-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain will pass the order.

Earlier on Sunday, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam and ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan opposed the bail to BNP chief while senior lawyer AJ Mohammad Ali stood for Khaleda Zia during the hearing in the court.

On March 15, the government and the Anti-Corruption Commission filed separate leave-to-appeal petitions with the Supreme Court challenging the High Court order that granted a four-month interim bail to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in the Zia Orphanage Trust Corruption case.

The HC on March 12 granted 4 months’ bail to Khaleda in Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case in which she was convicted and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment. She was given bail on four grounds: a short sentencing of five years, health condition, her facing trial proceedings and that the case records have reached the High Court.

Following two separate petitions filed by the ACC and the government the SC on March 14 stayed the HC order of bail till Sunday. The apex court also asked the ACC and government to file separate leave-to-appeal petitions with this court against the HC order by Sunday.

On February 8, a special court convicted former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and sentenced her to five years' rigorous imprisonment in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the graft case with Ramna Police Station in July 2008, accusing the six of misappropriating over Tk 2.1 crore that came from a foreign bank as grants for orphans.


risingbd/Dhaka/March 19, 2018/Mehedi/Nasim