Dhaka, 20 Feb, Abnews: Lawyers of BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia have filed an appeal with the High Court challenging her sentence in the Zia Orphanage Trust case.
Barrister Kaiser Kamal, law affairs secretary of BNP, said they filed the appeal around 3:30 pm on Tuesday with the High Court against BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia's sentence in the graft case.
Earlier, the senior lawyers of Khaleda Zia hold meeting for several hours at the hall room of Supreme Court’s bar in the morning. Barrister Moudud Ahmed, Khandaker Mahbub Hossain, AJ Mohammad Ali, Abdur Rezak Khan, Barrister Mahbubuddin Khokon, Barrister Badruddoza Badal, Sanaullah Mia, Aminul Islam, and Masud Ahmed Talukder were present during the meeting.
The lawyers of BNP chief on Monday afternoon received the certified copy of the verdict. Khaleda’s lawyer Advocate Sanaullah Mia received the 1174-page copy of the verdict, 10 days after it was pronounced.
On February 8 last, the court read out a 632-page summarised version of the verdict and today it released the full 1174-page copy of the verdict.
On Sunday, Khaleda’s lawyers filed a petition with the Dhaka Special Judge Court-5 seeking a copy of the judgment after having failed to receive it even 11 days after the verdict.
On Feb 8, a Dhaka court sentenced BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia to five years of rigorous imprisonment and fines her Tk 2 crore for financial irregularities in the Zia Orphanage Trust.
The makeshift court delivered the verdict amid tight security. It also awarded 10 years of imprisonment to five others including her son Tarique Rahman.
Khaleda was present in the court at the time of pronouncing the verdict.
The court also fined Tk 2.10 crore each in the politically significant case ahead of the parliamentary election.
After Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad, Khaleda is the second head of the government convicted in a graft case.
On 25 January, the court fixed 8 February to announce the verdict in the Zia Orphanage Trust Graft case.
The Anti-Corruption Commission filed the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case on July 3, 2008 with Ramna Police Station accusing Khaleda, her eldest son Tarique Rahman, now living in the UK, and four others of misappropriating over 2.10 crore that came as grants from a foreign bank for orphans.
Four other accused are former BNP MP Salimul Haq Kamal and businessman Sharfuddin Ahmed, former principal secretary Kamal Uddin Siddique and Mominur Rahman, nephew of late President Ziaur Rahman.Kamal Uddin Siddique and Mominur Rahman have long been absconding.
ABN/Adrian/Jasim/AD