[🇧🇩] Monitoring Khaleda Zia's political and health issues

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HC scraps 11 cases against Khaleda

The High Court yesterday scrapped the trial proceedings of 11 cases filed against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.

www.thedailystar.net

HC scraps 11 cases against Khaleda

Photo: Collected

The High Court yesterday scrapped the trial proceedings of 11 cases filed against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.

The cases were filed in connection with arson, violence, and sedition with different police stations in Dhaka in 2015.

Yesterday, the HC bench of Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Syed Enayet Hossain delivered the verdicts after hearing 11 petitions filed by Khaleda in 2017 seeking to quash proceedings of the cases.

Khaleda's lawyers Zainul Abedin, Mahbub Uddin Khokon, Kayser Kamal, and Nasir Uddin Ahmed Ashim told reporters that trial proceedings of 10 arson and violence cases were cancelled on the grounds that their clients were not present at the places of occurrences mentioned in the cases.

Also, the HC quashed the sedition case against the BNP chief as the case was filed by a lawyer without taking permission from the home ministry, said Mahbub Uddin Khokon.

BNP's Legal Affairs Secretary Kayser Kamal told The Daily Star that former prime minister and BNP chief Khaleda has been accused in 37 cases lodged during the rule of Awami League government on various charges, including corruption, violence, arson, defamation, and sedition.

Of the cases, the HC yesterday scrapped 11 cases, the lower courts concerned in different districts earlier dismissed nine defamation cases and the president granted her clemency in two graft cases in which she was convicted and sentenced to imprisonment, the lawyer said, adding that she is on bail in the other cases.

Among other pro-BNP lawyers Ragib Rauf Chowdhury, Gazi Kamrul Islam Sajal, Mohammad Siddique Ullah Miah, Anisur Rahman Raihan, Zakir Hossain Bhuiyan, HM Shanjid Siddique, and Maksud Ullah were representing Khaleda in the court during the hearing on the petitions, while Deputy Attorney General Jasim Sarkar represented the state.

Khaleda, who was under house arrest for the last five years, was released on August 6 this year after the president pardoned her, a day after Hasina resigned and fled the country amid a mass uprising.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin, exercising his power under article 49 of the constitution, granted Khaleda clemency in the two cases based on the law ministry's recommendation and ordered her release.

On February 8, 2018, Khaleda was sent to the Old Dhaka Jail after a special court in Dhaka sentenced her to five years' imprisonment in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case. The High Court later doubled her five-year jail term.

In the same year, the same special court in Dhaka sentenced Khaleda to seven years in jail in the Zia Charitable Trust graft case.

Amid the coronavirus outbreak, the government temporarily freed Khaleda from jail through an executive order suspending her sentence on March 25, 2020, with the condition that she stay in her Gulshan house and not leave the country.​

 

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HC accepts Khaleda’s appeal in Zia Charitable Trust case for hearing

The High Court on Sunday accepted for hearing Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Khaleda Zia’s appeal against her conviction and sentence in the Zia Charitable Trust case.

www.newagebd.net

HC accepts Khaleda’s appeal in Zia Charitable Trust case for hearing
Staff Correspondent 03 November, 2024, 14:41

Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Khaleda Zia.

The High Court on Sunday accepted for hearing Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Khaleda Zia’s appeal against her conviction and sentence in the Zia Charitable Trust case.

Khaleda, also former prime minister, filed the appeal in 2018 following her sentence of seven-year jail, which was remitted by the president after the ouster of Sheikh Hasina government amid the student-people uprising on August 5.

The bench of Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Syed Enayet Hossain permitted Khaleda’s layers to prepare a paper book in her expense for the hearing of the appeal.

Her lawyer Zainul Abedin, argued that the president remitted Khaleda’s sentence while the appeal remained pending with the court.

Khaleda did not request administrative relief and she sought a legal resolution instead as it was a politically motivated case, he contended.

In addition to the Zia Charitable Trust case, another appeal remains pending with the Appellate Division against Khaleda’s sentence in the Zia Orphanage Trust case.

In Zia Orphanage case, the High Court on October 30, 2018, following the Anti-Corruption Commission appeal, increased her sentence to imprisonment for 10 years from five years.

Bothe the cases were filed during the 2007-08 military-controlled interim regime. Khaleda also faces 35 more cases.

Of the cases, 19 have been dismissed by the courts, and her sentences in both the Zia Orphanage Trust and Zia Charitable Trust cases were remitted following Hasina’s ouster and escape to India the mass uprising on August 5.

In March 2020, amid the Covid pandemic, the Awami League government granted Khaleda temporary release from prison under an executive order on conditions.

The conditional release has been extended multiple times to keep her out of jail considering her health condition.​

 

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SC decision on Khaleda’s appeal today

The Anti-Corruption Commission on Sunday informed the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court that there was no misappropriation of funds of the Shaheed Ziaur Rahman...

www.newagebd.net

SC decision on Khaleda’s appeal today
Staff Correspondent 10 November, 2024, 13:34

Khaleda Zia. | File photo

The Anti-Corruption Commission on Sunday informed the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court that there was no misappropriation of funds of the Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Orphanage Trust and that the money remained unused in the trust’s account.

On February 8, 2018, a Dhaka Special Judge’s Court sentenced Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson and former prime minister Khaleda Zia to five years while five others, including her eldest son Tarique Rahman, were jailed for varying terms on the charge of embezzling Tk 2.10 crore from the orphanage trust.

The case alleged that the funds, intended for the trust, had been transferred to a private account.

Later, on October 30, 2018, the High Court Division doubled Khaleda’s sentence to 10 years following a petition by the ACC.

The High Court also dismissed the ex-prime minister’s appeal for acquittal.

ACC counsel Asif Hasan announced the commission’s revised stance, now in favor of Khaleda’s acquittal, before a three-member Appellate Division bench chaired by Justice Md Ashfaqul Islam.

The Supreme Court is scheduled to give its decision on her appeal on Monday by determining whether her sentence will be overturned.

The case, filed on July 3, 2008, under a military-backed caretaker government, initially claimed that Khaleda abused her position as a prime minister from 1991 to 1996 by misappropriating Tk 2.10 crore of the Tk 4.44 crore donated by the Saudi King to the Prime Minister’s Office for building the orphanage.

During hearings, Khaleda’s lawyers, Zainul Abedin and Kayser Kamal, argued that the conviction was ‘one-sided’ and politically motivated.

Attorney general Md Asaduzzaman suggested that the case was a form of political harassment, targeting Khaleda and her family members under both the army-backed interim government and the subsequent Awami League regime.

On November 3, 2024, the High Court also agreed to hear Khaleda’s separate appeal in the Zia Charitable Trust case, in which she was sentenced to jail for seven years in 2018.

Her sentences involving the cases relating to Zia Orphanage Trust and Zia Charitable Trust were remitted by the president on August 6, a day after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina regime amid a student-mass uprising on August 5.

The BNP chairperson is now facing 16 other cases.

After the fall of the Hasina regime, different courts dismissed 19 cases against Khaleda.

The BNP chief’s lawyers argued that the president remitted Khaleda’s sentences while the appeal remained pending with the court.

Khaleda did not request administrative relief and she sought a legal resolution instead as it was a politically motivated case, they contended.

In March 2020, amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the then Awami League regime, under an executive order, granted Khaleda’s conditional and temporary release due to her poor health condition.

The time of her release was extended several times until her sentences were remitted by the president.​

 

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SC stays HC verdict on Khaleda’s sentence in Zia Orphanage Trust Case

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Monday stayed a 2018 High Court ruling that had extended Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Khaleda Zia’s prison sentence from...

www.newagebd.net

SC stays HC verdict on Khaleda’s sentence in Zia Orphanage Trust Case
Staff Correspondent 11 November, 2024, 11:10

Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Khaleda Zia. | Collected photo

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Monday stayed a 2018 High Court ruling that had extended Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Khaleda Zia’s prison sentence from five years to 10 years in the Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Orphanage Trust case.

A three-member Appellate Division bench led by Justice Md Ashfaqul Islam granted the stay, temporarily halting the High Court’s order that had increased the trial court’s sentence and rejected Khaleda’s appeal seeking acquittal from embezzlement charges.

The Apex Court, simplifying the legal process for the former prime minister, also allowed her to file an appeal against the High Court decision without the need to prepare a paper-book.

Khaleda’s legal team was instructed to submit a concise argument on the appeal within two weeks.

On the expiry of two weeks, the team will have to seek a date from the chamber judge for holding a hearing on the appeal.

The High Court, responding to a petition submitted by the Anti-Corruption Commission, doubled Khaleda’s prison sentence on October 30, 2018,

On February 8, 2018, a Dhaka Special Judge’s Court sentenced Khaleda to five years and her son, Tarique Rahman, along with others, to varying prison terms over the alleged misappropriation of Tk 2.10 crore from the orphanage trust.

On Sunday, the ACC’s counsel, Asif Hasan, informed the Appellate Division that no evidence of fund misappropriation was found, and the Tk 2.10 crore, along with interest, remained intact in the trust’s account.

This revision of the ACC’s stance now supports Khaleda who is seeking acquittal.

The case, filed in 2008 during a military-backed caretaker government, accused Khaleda of misusing her position as prime minister from 1991 to 1996 to divert Tk 2.10 crore out of Tk 4.44 crore donated by the Saudi king.

The allegation claimed that the funds were transferred to a private account instead of being used for the orphanage.

The president on August 6, a day after the fall of the Awami League regime amid a student-mass uprising, remitted Khaleda’s sentences in both the Zia Orphanage and Zia Charitable Trust cases.

Khaleda currently faces 16 other cases, while 19 cases against her were dismissed after the fall of the AL regime on August 5.

Her legal team argued that the president had previously remitted her sentences in both the Zia Orphanage and Zia Charitable Trust cases, where she had received a seven-year sentence.

Her appeal in the Zia Charitable Trust case was accepted for hearing by the High Court on November 3.

During proceedings on Monday, Khaleda’s lawyers, Zainul Abedin and Kayser Kamal, argued that Khaleda sought a legal, not administrative, resolution.

They said that the case was politically motivated.

Attorney general Md Asaduzzaman suggested that the case was politically charged, targeting Khaleda and her family under the caretaker and subsequent Awami League governments, despite her lack of knowledge and involvement with the fund.

In March 2020, amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the Awami League government conditionally and temporarily released Khaleda on humanitarian grounds due to her poor health. Her release period was extended multiple times until remitting her sentences by the president.​

 

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BNP’s Alal demands return of Khaleda’s cantonment house

BNP Chairperson’s Advisory Council member Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal on Friday demanded that the government return the party chairperson Khaleda Zia’s house on Shaheed Mainul Road in Dhaka Cantonment, which was taken back by the Awami League regime. Speaking to reporters at the grave of

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

BNP’s Alal demands return of Khaleda’s cantonment house
UNB
Published :
Nov 22, 2024 20:30
Updated :
Nov 22, 2024 20:30

BNP Chairperson’s Advisory Council member Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal on Friday demanded that the government return the party chairperson Khaleda Zia’s house on Shaheed Mainul Road in Dhaka Cantonment, which was taken back by the Awami League regime.

Speaking to reporters at the grave of BNP founder Ziaur Rahman, he also said BNP has confidence in the newly formed Election Commission, reports UNB.

“Khaleda Zia was forcibly ousted from her residence at Main Road in just a single dress, even before the case concerning the matter was resolved. The government should take steps to help her heal from the trauma associated with that house,” the BNP leader said.

Stating that the BNP chief was unfairly evicted from her cantonment house, he urged the government to take steps to ensure justice for her.

As the wife of a former Army Chief, Alal said it was natural for Khaleda to attend the Armed Forces Day reception in the cantonment, but she was unable to do so for nearly a decade.

“The expression of Khaleda Zia that we witnessed at Senakunja was like a bird that had been chained for years and was finally set free,” he observed.

Khaleda Zia attended the Armed Forces Day reception at Senakunja on Friday, after 11 years.

Alal, along with leaders and workers of Jatiyatabadi Prochar Dal, paid homage to late President Ziaur Rahman by placing a wreath at his grave in the capital, marking the 13th founding anniversary of the organisation.

On April 8, 2009, the Awami League government cancelled the allotment of Khaleda Zia’s Shaheed Mainul Road house in Dhaka Cantonment, citing several irregularities in the allotment within the military zone.

Subsequently, on November 13, 2010, she was evicted from the house where she had lived for 38 years, since her husband Ziaur Rahman served as deputy chief of the army. After Zia’s assassination in 1981, then Army Chief HM Ershad allocated the 2.72-acre property to her at a token price.

Asked for his comment on the formation of the new Election Commission (EC), Alal said BNP want to place its trust in the newly formed Commission. “We hope the Commission will demonstrate its competence through its actions, rather than engaging in excessive rhetoric.”

He also stated that the formation of the new EC marks the beginning of the electoral process. “We expect the reform work initiated by the government will be completed swiftly to facilitate the holding of the national election.”​

 

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Khaleda Zia acquitted in two cases

Former prime minister and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia was acquitted in two cases related to the Barapukuria coalmine and the Zia Charitable Trust on Wednesday...

www.newagebd.net

Khaleda Zia acquitted in two cases
Staff Correspondent 27 November, 2024, 16:40

Khaleda Zia | BSS photo

Former prime minister and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia was acquitted in two cases related to the Barapukuria coalmine and the Zia Charitable Trust on Wednesday.

The High Court acquittal overturned a lower court verdict that sentenced her to seven years in prison in 2018.

The rulings marked a crucial legal victory for the veteran politician, who has faced numerous cases over the years.

The bench of Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Syed Enayet Hossain also released her late political secretary Harris Chowdhury, and Monirul Islam, former private secretary to Dhaka’s ex-mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka.

The Anti-Corruption Commission had filed the Zia Charitable Trust case in 2011, alleging embezzlement of trust funds.

However, the High Court on Wednesday ruled in favour of Khaleda’s appeal, which argued that the charges were politically motivated.

Khaleda’s sentence in the case had been remitted by a presidential order following the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government and her subsequent fleeing to India facing a student-led uprising on August 5.

In a separate decision, Dhaka Special Judge Court-3 acquitted Khaleda and two former cabinet members, Altaf Hossain Chowdhury and Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, in the Barapukuria coalmine graft case.

Filed by the ACC in 2008, the case accused 16 individuals of misusing power to award a contract to a Chinese company, allegedly causing a loss of Tk 159 crore to the state.

Despite clearing Khaleda and her colleagues, the court framed charges against four other accused, paving the way for the trial to proceed.

Khaleda’s legal team hailed the decisions as a significant step toward justice.

Her senior counsel Zainul Abedin argued before the High Court that Khaleda had sought a legal resolution, refusing to rely on administrative relief.

He emphasised that the cases against her were part of a broader pattern of politically motivated charges.

Khaleda, who has faced a total of 37 cases, has now been cleared in at least 20 of them, according to her lawyer Zoynal Abedin Meshbah.

Five of the cases, including the Barapukuria and Zia Charitable Trust cases, were filed during the military-backed caretaker government with proceedings continuing under the Awami League government.

Despite Wednesday’s rulings, Khaleda’s legal battles are far from over.

Her appeal against a ten-year sentence in the Zia Orphanage Trust case remains pending with the Appellate Division.

The ACC had initially sought an increase in her sentence, which the High Court granted in 2018, raising it from five to ten years.

Another high-profile case involving Niko Resources, filed during the caretaker government, also remains pending at Dhaka Special Judge’s Court.

In March 2020, amid the Covid pandemic, the Awami League government granted Khaleda temporary release from prison under an executive order on conditions.

The conditional release has been extended multiple times to keep her out of jail considering her health condition.​

 

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Chinese envoy meets BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia

Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen met BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia on Wednesday evening. The one-hour and 20-minute meeting, which began around 7:30 pm, was held at Khaleda Zia’s residence in the city’s Gulshan area, said BNP media cell member Sayrul Kabir Khan. The Chines

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Chinese envoy meets BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia
UNB
Published :
Dec 04, 2024 21:43
Updated :
Dec 04, 2024 21:43

Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen met BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia on Wednesday evening.

The one-hour and 20-minute meeting, which began around 7:30 pm, was held at Khaleda Zia’s residence in the city’s Gulshan area, said BNP media cell member Sayrul Kabir Khan.

The Chinese ambassador exchanged greetings with Khaleda Zia and inquired about her health.

During the meeting, Yao Wen presented a traditional Chinese wall banner to the BNP chairperson.

BNP Standing Committee member Dr. AZM Zahid Hossain and Vice Chairman Altaf Hossain Chowdhury were also present.​

 

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Khaleda Zia to attend public rally after 7 yrs

BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia will attend a rally of the Jatiotabadi Muktijoddha Dal as the chief guest on 21 December. With this, she’s going to join a political programme for the first time in seven years.

en.prothomalo.com

Khaleda Zia to attend public rally after 7 yrs
Special Correspondent
Dhaka
Updated: 15 Dec 2024, 16: 19

BNP chairperson Khaleda ZiaFile photo

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson Khaleda Zia will attend a rally of the Jatiotabadi Muktijoddha Dal as the chief guest on 21 December. With this, she’s going to join a political programme for the first time in seven years.

Jatiotabadi Muktijoddha Dal president Istiaq Aziz Ulfat told Prothom Alo today, Sunday, that he along with BNP standing committee member Major (retd) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed met with party chairperson Khaleda Zia Saturday night.

He said that they invited the BNP chairperson to attend the rally of the Jatiyatabadi Muktijoddha Dal as the chief guest.

Istiaq Aziz Ulfat mentioned that former prime minister Khaleda Zia has accepted their invitation and promised to attend the rally in person. Acting chairperson of BNP, Tarique Rahman will also join the rally virtually from London.

The rally is being organised at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) in the city at 2:00 pm on 21 December.

BNP along with its associated and affiliated organisations is holding different programmes on the occasion of the victory day. The Jatiotabadi Muktijoddha Dal is organising that rally as part of the programmes.

Ishtiaq Aziz Ulfat further stated that the freedom fighters will be coming to Dhaka from all over the country and join the rally on 21 December.

The last time BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia had addressed a rally of her party was on 12 November 2017 at the Suhrawardy Udyan in Dhaka. Later, she was arrested on 8 February 2018.

Khaleda Zia was sentenced to imprisonment in two cases of corruption under the rule of the then government of Bangladesh Awami League. She was in prison for more than two years.

Then on 25 March 2020, the government suspended her sentence to free her on conditions through an executive order. Since then the government had been extending the suspension on her sentence every six months based on appeals.

After ruling for 15 and a half years at a stretch, the AL government fell in the face of a mass uprising led by students on 5 August. Khaleda Zia was freed with a presidential order the very next day on 6 August.

Regarding her release, a press release sent from the Bangabhaban, the official residence of the president, stated that Khaleda Zia has been freed following a meeting of President Mohammed Shahabuddin with chiefs of three services, leaders of different political parties, representatives of civil society and leaders of Students Against Discrimination movement.

Khaleda Zia then attended a reception at Senakunja on the occasion of the Armed Forces day on 21 November after more than a decade. Now after seven years, she’s going to attend a political programme, a rally organised by the Jatiotabadi Muktijoddha Dal on 21 December.

Speaking about this, BNP chairperson’s media wing official Shamsuddin Didar told Prothom Alo, “With the rally of freedom fighters, Khaleda Zia is joining a public rally or a political programme in a free environment after seven long years.”​