TDS Desk:

Justice Akhtaruzzaman, the judge who sentenced BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia to five years in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case, has resigned. He submitted his resignation letter on Sunday.

Court sources say that Justice Akhtaruzzaman, along with 12 other judges, had been sent on leave due to allegations of “corruption and being a collaborator of fascist Sheikh Hasina.”

Following these allegations, an investigation was launched against the 12 judges under the direction of Chief Justice Syed Refat Ahmed, who led the Supreme Judicial Council.

As part of the ongoing process, on July 1, Justice Akhtaruzzaman was summoned by the Supreme Judicial Council to explain the allegations of misconduct. After providing his explanation, he submitted his resignation to the chief justice.

The chief justice has since forwarded the resignation to the President.

Justice Akhtaruzzaman, serving at Dhaka’s Special Judge Court-5, had sentenced Khaleda Zia to five years in prison on February 8, 2018, in the Zia Orphanage Trust case. Along with her, five others, including her son and BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, were sentenced to ten years each.

The case was filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) during the tenure of the caretaker government in 2008, accusing Khaleda Zia and her son Tarique Rahman of embezzling funds. The formal charge sheet was submitted in 2009.

From 2009 to 2014, the proceedings of the case were suspended by orders from higher courts. According to the case documents, during her tenure as prime minister, Khaleda Zia embezzled Tk21 million intended for orphaned children, which was donated by the then emir of Kuwait.

The funds were deposited in Sonali Bank’s account in Bangladesh through Saudi Arabia’s United Commercial Bank in 1991.

It was alleged that Khaleda Zia, in collusion with her sons, misappropriated the funds intended for the orphans by making them “settler trustees” of the orphanage.