Hindustan Surkhiyan Desk: BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s lawyers may move her pending pleas before the Supreme Court next week challenging her convictions in two separate corruption cases.
Zia, a former prime minister, could not take part in the general election, as she was not allowed to contest for her convictions and jail sentences in the lawsuits.
“We will try to move the pending appeals of the BNP chairperson against her convictions and jail sentence in the two (Zia Orphanage Trust and Zia Charitable Trust) casesnext week,” Advocate Zainul Abedin, a senior lawyer for Khaleda, told The Daily Star today.
He said: “We will place the appeal before the High Court for its admission against the trial court verdict that convicted and sentenced her to seven years’ imprisonment in Zia Orphanage Trust case. If the High Court admits the appeal for its hearing, then we will move a petition before the High Court for her bail in the case”.
Advocate Zainul, also a vice chairman of BNP, said they will move another pending petition before the Appellate Division of the SC challenging the High Court verdict that increased her punishment in Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case.
“We will move the petition before the apex court seeking stay on the High Court verdict also bail for Khaleda Zia in the case,” he added.
Khaleda Zia was convicted in Zia Charitable Trust corruption case and sentenced to seven years’ rigorous imprisonment by a special court of Dhaka on October 29 last year.
On November 18, she filed an appeal with the HC through her lawyers challenging the trial court verdict.
In the appeal, she sought acquittal of the charges in the case.
On November 18, 73-year-old Khaledafiled a petition with the SC challenging the HC verdict that increased her punishment in Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case.
In the petition, she also sought bail in the case and stay on the HC verdict that enhanced her punishment from five years’ imprisonment to 10 years’ imprisonment in the case.
Khaleda landed in the old central jail on February 8 last year after a special court sentenced her to five years’ rigorous imprisonment in Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case.
