2 accused in Zia Orphanage Trust graft case at court

- Law enforcers escort Judge Md Akhtaruzzaman into court

-2 accused enter court premises

-TV cameras not being allowed into court premises

-Huge number of law enforcers deployed around court area

As the whole country waits with bated breath for the verdict in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case against BNP Cheirperson Khaleda Zia to be delivered today, two accused in the case have been brought to the special court this morning.

The accused—Kazi Salimul Haque, and Sharfuddin Ahmed—were taken to the court premises at Bakshibazar in Dhaka in a prison van around 9:00am, reports our correspondent from the spot.

ZIA ORPHANAGE TRUST GRAFT CASE

Case filed: July 3, 2008

Total accused: 6

Charges framed: March 19, 2014

Trial started: September 22, 2014

Total prosecution witnesses: 32

Defence witnesses: 3

Closing arguments: December 20, 2017 to January 25, 2018

Number of days of proceedings: 236 days

Highest punishment: Life term

Meanwhile, a huge number of law enforcers escorted Judge Md Akhtaruzzaman into the Special Court-5 around 10:30am, reports our staff correspondent from the spot.

Law enforcers, since morning, did not let anyone enter the court premises except concerned lawyers and a few journalists, as part of the strict security measure centering the verdict today, our staff correspondent reports from the spot.

Meanwhile, no TV cameras were allowed to enter the court premises.

The entire capital has been wrapped in an unprecedented security blanket.

Alongside a huge number of regular law enforcers, 20 platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (each platoon has 10-20 members) were deployed in the evening yesterday. Another 23 platoons have been called in for deployment across the country.

The Case:

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

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On March 21 in 2014, a Dhaka court framed charges against the six accused.

According to complainant, a grant of $1,255,000 was transferred from the United Saudi Commercial Bank to the Prime Minister's Orphanage Fund. The fund was created by the then premier Khaleda shortly before the transfer was made on June 9, 1991.

The complainant alleged that the fund was created as part of the embezzlement scheme, and only Khaleda administered the fund.

Khaleda Zia’s political career:

If the verdict goes against Khaleda Zia, there is a possibility that she might not be able to contest the general elections slated for December this year.

In her political career spanning over 35 years, Khaleda, also a former prime minister of the country, went to jail several times but never due to a conviction. She was detained several times during the anti-Ershad movement in the 1980s and in 1990.

During the 2007-2008 tenure of the army-backed caretaker government, she was in jail for about a year on charge of corruption.

Khaleda was made vice-chairperson of BNP in March 1983 after the assassination of her husband and former president, Ziaur Rahman. She became chairperson of the party on May 10, 1984, a post she is holding still today.