Graft suits: Order on Khaleda’s stay plea Sunday

The High Court will pass order on Sunday on two separate petitions filed by BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia seeking stay on the trial proceedings of Zia Charitable Trust corruption case.

The bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Amir Hossain fixed the date after concluding hearing arguments from the lawyers on the petitions.

On April 18, the BNP chief filed the petitions with the HC challenging a lower court order that rejected her two applications in the corruption case lodged by Anti Corruption Commission in 2011.

One of the applications was filed for re-cross examination of the investigation officer of the case while another was for scrutinising the case dairy.

On April 17, a Dhaka court rejected the applications of Khaleda after her lawyers submitted those before the court at Bakshibazar in the presence of Khaleda.

In the petitions filed on April 18, Khaleda also prayed to the HC to stay the trial proceedings against her in the case

On April 21, a judge of another HC bench felt embarrassed to hear the same petitions of Khaleda Zia, ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan told The Daily Star yesterday. 

Earlier on April 7, the HC rejected another petition of Khaleda, clearing the way for a lower court to continue the trial proceedings against her in the graft case.

Other accused in the case filed by the ACC on August 8, 2011 are Harris Chowdhury, Khaleda's former political secretary, Ziaul Islam Munna, assistant private secretary of Harris, and Monirul Islam Khan, APS of former mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka. Of them, Harris is on the run.

AJ Mohammad Ali placed arguments before the HC on behalf of Khaleda.