Khaleda can cross examine 4 witnesses: HC

Staff Correspondent: The High Court (HC) on Sunday allowed BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia to cross examine four prosecution witnesses of Zia Charitable Trust graft case.

The witnesses are-- three bank officials Sheikh Mokbul Ahmed, Amirul Islam and Amal Kanti Dey and Anti Corruption Commission (ACC)'s assistant director Chowdhury MN Alam.

The HC bench of Justice Md Shawkat Hossain and Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder came up with the order following a petition filed by Khaleda Zia.

Advocate Zakir Hossain Bhuiyan, advocate Zainul Abedin and advocate AJ Mohammad Ali moved for Khaleda in the court.

Earlier on June 21, the BNP chief filed a petition with the HC seeking permission to cross-examine five prosecution witnesses of the graft case.

Citing the petition, Advocate Zakir Hossain Bhuiyan told risingbd.com that a trial court in Dhaka on June 8 rejected the petition seeking permission to cross-examine five prosecution witnesses of the graft case. A revision petition was filed with the HC challenging the Dhaka court's June 8 rejection order.

The trial is currently underway at the Special Judge Court-5 of Dhaka.

According to the case statement, on August 8 in 2011, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the Zia Charitable Trust graft case with Tejgaon Police Station accusing four people, including Khaleda of raising funds for the trust from unknown sources abusing power.

The other accused are Harris Chowdhury, Khaleda`s former political secretary, Ziaul Islam Munna, assistant private secretary (APS) of Harris, and Monirul Islam Khan, APS of former mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka. Of them, Harris is on the run.

Khaleda and three others abused power to collect Tk 6.19 crore for Zia Charitable Trust.

risingbd/Dhaka/July 30, 2017/Mehedi/Amirul