ACC ready to oppose Khaleda’s appeal hearing

Staff Correspondent: Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) is completely ready to oppose the hearing on the appeal petition filed by lawyers of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia challenging her imprisonment in the Zia Orphanage Trust case, said ACC's lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan.

“We are completely ready to stand against the appeal hearing of the BNP chief set to be held on Thursday (February 22),” Khurshid Alam told reporters after the court fixed the date for hearing the appeal petition on Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, the High Court (HC) fixed Thursday (February 22) for hearing the appeal petition filed by lawyers of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia challenging her imprisonment in the Zia Orphanage Trust case.

An HC bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Shahidul Karim will hear the petition on the day.

In the afternoon, Khaleda’s lawyers filed the appeal petition with the concerned division of the High Court and sought bail for her on Tuesday noon.

Her lawyers filed the appeal a day after the court released the certified copy of the graft verdict.

On February 8, a special court convicted the former prime minister and sentenced her to five years' imprisonment in the much-talked-about Zia Orphanage Trust graft case. She was then sent to old central jail at Nazimuddin Road in the city.

Five other accused in the case, including her son and BNP senior vice-chairman Tarique Rahman, were sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment each. The court also fined the five accused Tk. 2.10 crore each.


risingbd/Dhaka/Feb 20, 2018/Mehedi/AI