DHAKA:  Former Prime Minister and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia is getting verdict on corruption charges nearly 10 years after the filing of Zia Orphanage Trust case accusing her and five others of misappropriating over Tk 2.1 crore.

Judge Md Akhtaruzzaman of the Special Court-5 in Dhaka’s Bakshibazar fixed the date on Thursday (January 25).

Khaleda’s lawyer Advocate Sanaullah Mia told Banglanews that she will appear before the court, to hear the verdict at by 11:00am.

Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) is expecting life-term imprisonments for all of the accused including Khladea Zia, in the graft case.

In July 2008, the ACC filed the case accusing Khaleda, her son BNP's senior vice chairman Tarique Rahman and four others for misappropriating over Tk 2.10 crore grant money for orphans.

The four other accused are--then BNP lawmaker Kazi Salimul Haque, Ziaur Rahman's nephew Mominur Rahman, former principal secretary Kamal Uddin Siddique and businessman Sharfuddin Ahmed.

Of them, Khaleda is now on bail while Salimul and Sharfuddin are in jail. Tarique and Mominur and Kamal have been absconding.

This is first time that any former prime minister of Bangladesh is getting verdict in a corruption case. 

Former President Hussain Muhammad Ershad served six years in jail on corruption charges, after he had been ousted from power in 1990.

BDST: 0901 HRS, FEB 8, 2018
SI