DHAKA: The High Court has granted permission to BNP chief Khaleda Zia’s lawyers to cross-examine four prosecution witnesses in Zia Charitable Graft case filed by ACC.

An HC bench comprising Justices Md Shawkat Hossain and Md Nazrul Islam passed the order on Sunday (July 30) after hearing the petition.

Lawyer AJ Mohammad Ali along with Zakir Hossain Bhuiyan moved for Khaleda Zia in court while Khurshid Alam moved for the Anti-Corruption Commission.

Khurshid Alam said the petition was filed for permission to cross-examine five prosecution witnesses. The court granted permission to cross-examine four.

Zakir Hossain Bhuiyan told Banglanews, “There are 36 witnesses in this case.Thirty-two of them have given their testimony. We declined to cross-examine five of them earlier. However, on June 8, Special Judge Md. Akhtaruzzaman dismissed the writ. Another petition was filed with the HC in this regard on June 21.”

On August 8 in 2011, the ACC filed the Zia Charitable Trust graft case with Tejgaon Police Station accusing four people, including Khaleda, for abuse of power and misappropriating Tk 6.19 crore donated in Zia Charitable Trust during the BNP-led government's tenure between 1991 and 1996.

BDST: 1715 HRS, JULY 30, 2017
AP