Supreme Court cancels bail for Khaleda Zia in corruption case
Dhaka, March 19: Bangladesh’s Supreme Court on stayed the release of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia on bail in a corruption case under which she was sentenced to five years imprisonment, in a setback to her political ambitions in this year’s general election.
Ms Zia, 72, was sentenced on February 8 in connection with the embezzlement of 21 million taka ( about $ 250,000) in foreign donations meant for the Zia Orphanage Trust, named after her late husband Ziaur Rahman, a military ruler- turned- politician.
In the same case, her son Tarique Rahman and four others were sentenced to 10 years in jail.
On March 12, the high court here granted the chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party ( BNP) a four- month interim bail.
However, on Monday a full bench of the Appellate Division led by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain passed the order to stay until May 8 the High Court order which granted bail to Ms Zia in the graft case.
Following today’s Supreme Court order, Zia will not be released from jail till May 8, AntiCorruption Commission ( ACC) lawyer Advocate Khurshid Alam Khan was quoted as saying by Daily Star.
◗ Zia, 72, was sentenced on February 8 in connection with the embezzlement of 21 million taka ( about $ 250,000) in foreign donations meant for the Zia Orphanage Trust
The apex court asked the ACC and government to submit concise statements on the appeal in two weeks after receiving the leave granting order, the report said.
Ms Zia has also been asked to submit concise statement on the appeal in two weeks after the ACC and government file their concise statements. A concise statement contains the points on which the lawyer placed arguments on the appeals before the court.
After passing the order, Hossain said all the four judges of the apex court passed the order unanimously after examining the records of the case.