State and ACC appeal against Khaleda Zia‍‍`s acquittal: Hearing scheduled for Monday

The hearing for the appeal challenging BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s acquittal in the Zia Charitable Trust corruption case is set to take place tomorrow. 

Both the state and the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) have filed appeals against the High Court’s decision that acquitted Khaleda Zia of all charges related to the case.

Originally, the hearing was scheduled for today (Sunday) in front of a three-member bench of the Appellate Division, headed by Senior Justice Ashfaqul Islam. 

However, during the session, ACC‍‍`s lawyer requested additional time to prepare, as they had filed another appeal regarding a co-accused in the case, Ziaul Islam. Consequently, the court rescheduled the hearing for Monday.

The High Court’s ruling to acquit Khaleda Zia, along with all other accused in the case, was delivered on November 27 last year by a bench consisting of Justice A.K.M. Asaduzzaman and Justice Syed Enayetur Rahman. This verdict overturned an earlier lower court decision.

Initially, in 2018, a lower court had sentenced Khaleda Zia to seven years in prison and imposed a fine of 1 million taka in the Zia Charitable Trust case. 

Khaleda Zia, however, filed an appeal in the High Court on November 18, 2018, challenging the sentence. 

After hearing the appeal, the High Court ruled in her favor on Wednesday, fully overturning the lower court‍‍`s decision and granting her acquittal.

Following the ruling, Khaleda Zia‍‍`s lawyer, Advocate Zainul Abedin, spoke to reporters outside the court. 

He said, "The court listened to our arguments. The judge mentioned, ‍‍`I have thoroughly gone through the appeal, line by line. I have reviewed the evidence presented. Your submission holds legal merit. I hereby grant the appeal.‍‍` This means the appeal has been accepted."

The Zia Charitable Trust case has been ongoing since 2018 when, on October 29 of that year, a lower court delivered its verdict. Besides Khaleda Zia’s seven-year prison sentence, the court had imposed a fine. 

Her appeal led to a High Court decision on April 30, 2018, where the court suspended the monetary penalty.

The case drew significant attention during a politically turbulent time in Bangladesh. On August 5, 2018, just after a student-led protest, the Awami League government faced significant challenges. 

By August 6, Khaleda Zia‍‍`s sentences in both the Zia Charitable Trust and Zia Orphanage Trust cases were commuted, and she was released from jail.

After her release, Khaleda Zia sought permission from the High Court to prepare the necessary paper book, a critical step for proceeding with the appeal against the original trial court‍‍`s ruling in the Zia Charitable Trust case.