DHAKA: The court on Tuesday fixed May 25 as the date of Anti Corruption Commission’s (ACC) deputy director Harun-or-Rashid’s deposition day after he partly presented his deposition against BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia in the Zia Orphanage Trust and Zia Charitable Trust graft cases.

Earlier in the day, defending lawyer cross-examined the ACC deputy director Harun-or-Rashid, who is also the plaintiff of the case.

Meanwhile, the court has cancelled the time petition that Khaleda Zia’s lawyer filed to defer the hearing date of the two cases as she did not appear before the court Tuesday.

However, the court accepted two pleas regarding her absence in the court.

The proceedings of Zia Orphanage Trust and Zia Charitable Trust graft cases filed by ACC against Khaleda Zia are underway at the makeshift court of Judge Abu Ahmed at Bakshibazar Alia Madrasa in city.

Earlier on April 5, the Dhaka Third Special Judge court set May 5 as the date to resume the hearing of the cases.

With Tuesday’s absence, Khaleda attended the court only eight out of 66 working days.

Zia Orphanage Case

The ACC filed the graft case on July 3, 2008 with Ramna Police Station accusing Khaleda, her eldest son Tarique Rahman and four others on charge of misappropriating over Tk 2.10 crore which came as grants from a foreign bank for orphans.

The other accused are former BNP lawmaker Kazi Saleemul Haque, businessperson Sharfuddin Ahmed, Khaleda’s former principal secretary Kamal Uddin Siddiqui and Momenur Rahman.

Zia Charitable Trust Case

On August 8, 2011, ACC filed the case with Tejgaon Police Station accusing four people, including Khaleda Zia, for abusing power in raising funds for the trust from unknown sources.

The other accused in the case are Harris Chowdhury, Ziaul Islam Munna, assistant private secretary (APS) to Harris, and Monirul Islam Khan, APS to Sadeque Hossain Khoka, mayor of the erstwhile Dhaka City Corporation.

BDST: 1446 HRS, MAY 05, 2015
SR/RR

** Khaleda not to appear before court Tuesday