SC hearing on Khaleda’s bail likely tomorrow

The Supreme Court is likely to hold hearing tomorrow on the appeals filed against the High Court order that granted bail to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case.

The appeals have been included as item no. 9 in tomorrow’s cause list of the Appellate Division of the apex court.

A four-member bench of the SC headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain is scheduled to hold the hearing on the appeals, according to the cause list published in the SC website. 

The HC on March 12 granted four months' bail to Khaledain theZia Orphanage Trust corruption case after a special court in Dhaka sentenced Khaledato five years’ imprisonment in the caseand she landed in jail on February 8.

A week later, the SC stayed the HC bail order following the two leave-to-appeal petitions filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and the government.

Counsels for the ACC, government and Khaleda have taken all preparations for placing arguments before the apex court in support of their respective prayers.

ACC’s counsel Advocate KhurshidAlam Khan said they will place arguments elaborately on the points on which the SC has granted the leave-to-appeal petitions against the HC order and stayed the bail of Khaleda Zia, a former prime minister.

Khaleda’s lawyer Barrister Kayser Kamal, on the other hand, said they will place arguments explaining the level of illness she has been suffering from for a long period of time and other grounds in details.

The HC on March 12 granted Khaleda four months' bail on four grounds: a short sentence of five years, health condition, her facing trial, and that the case records have reached the court.

Khaleda landed in prison on February 8 after she was sentenced a five-year jail term by a special court in Dhaka for misappropriating a donation fund of the Zia Orphanage Trust.