Staff Correspondent:

The Appellate Division on Sunday deferred to Monday the hearing on two petitions filed challenging the High Court verdict that acquitted BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and two others in the Zia Charitable Trust graft case.

A three-member tribunal led by Senior Justice Md Ashfaqul Islam fixed the date upon an appeal submitted by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

Lawyer Asif Hossain represented the state in the court while Barrister Ruhul Quddus Kazal, advocate Aminul Islam, and Jakir Hossain stood for the BNP chairperson.

Earlier on February 23, the prosecution and the ACC submitted separate petitions challenging the acquittal of Khaleda Zia in the case.

Then the court set March 02 for hearing.

On November 27 last, the High Court acquitted BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and two others in the Zia Charitable Trust case.

The HC also scrapped the lower verdict that sentenced Khaleda and two others in the same case

Two others who got acquittal were Ziaul Islam Munna, assistant private secretary to Harris Chowdhury, ex-political secretary of then prime minister Khaleda Zia, and Monirul Islam Khan, APS to former Dhaka city mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka.

On November 20, the hearing on the appeal petition filed challenging the punishment in the case started while permission was given on November 03 for preparing the paper book of the case.

On October 29, 2018, Judge Md Akhtaruzzaman of the Special Court-5 sentenced BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia and three others to seven years’ rigorous imprisonment each in the much-talked-about Zia Charitable Trust corruption case.

The court also fined them Tk 1.0 million each, in default, to suffer six months more in jail.

On August 08, 2011, the ACC filed the Zia Charitable Trust graft case with Tejgaon Police Station accusing four people, including Khaleda Zia, of abusing power in raising funds for the trust from unknown sources.

In 2012, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) submitted chargesheet against them.