HC orders to transfer Khaleda's charitable case

Staff Correspondent: The High Court (HC) has ordered to transfer the Zia Charitable Trust Graft case filed against BNP Chairperson Khaleda to the court of Special Judge-5 from the Special Judge Court-3 of Judge Abu Ahmed Jamadar.

A bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Shahidul Karim passed the order on Wednesday.

On May 15, BNP Chief filed a petition seeking transfer the case to another court.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on August 8, 2011 filed the graft case accusing Khaleda and three others of abusing power to set up a charitable trust named after Ziaur Rahman, according to the commission.

The other three accused are Harris Chowdhury, Khaleda's former political secretary, Ziaul Islam Munna, assistant private secretary of Harris, and Monirul Islam Khan, APS of former Dhaka City Corporation mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka.

The ACC mentioned that the money spent for establishing the trust was collected from different sources, using the influence of the office of prime minister in 2005.

Just in a week from January 13, 2005, Tk 7.81 crore was deposited with the trust account, opened by Khaleda as the first managing trustee, at Sonali Bank branch at the Prime Minister's Office.

Of the amount spent on setting up the trust, Tk 2.87 crore came from unknown sources.



risingbd/Dhaka/May 17, 2017/Mehedi/A K Azad