Zia Orphanage graft case: Convict Salimul files appeal

Former BNP lawmaker Kazi Salimul Haque, who was convicted along with BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case, has filed an appeal with the High Court challenging the trial court verdict that sentenced him to 10 years’ imprisonment.

Salimul, now in jail, today submitted the appeal to the office concerned of the HC through his lawyer praying to it (HC) to acquit him of the corruption charge and to scrap the trial court verdict against him.  

Advocate Palash Chandra Roy, lawyer for Salimul, told The Daily Star that he will move the appeal before the HC today for its acceptance.

If the HC accepts the appeal, Salimul will file a petition with this court seeking bail in the case, the lawyer said.

Khaleda Zia, who landed in jail on February 8, has filed an appeal with the HC on February 20 challenging the special court's verdict that sentenced her to five years' imprisonment.

On February 22, the BNP chief filed a separate petition with the HC seeking bail in the same case.

The same day (February 22), the HC accepted Khaleda’s appeal, stayed the lower court order that fined her and asked the court to forward the case records to it within 15 days.

After a hearing, the HC on February 25 said it will deliver an order on her bail prayer after getting the case records from the lower court.

The lower court is yet to send the case records to the HC, court sources said.

On February 8, Special Judge's Court-5 in Dhaka sentenced Khaleda to five years' rigorous imprisonment after it had found her and five others including Salimul guilty in the case.

The court also sentenced Khaleda's elder son Tarique Rahman, now the acting chairman of BNP, Salimul and three others to 10 years' rigorous imprisonment each, and fined them a total of Tk 2.10 crore, saying that all the six convicts have to pay the fine in equal amounts.

The Anti-Corruption Commission had filed the case with Ramna Police Station in July 2008, accusing the six of misappropriating over Tk 2.1 crore that came from a foreign bank as grants for orphans.