ZIA ORPHANAGE TRUST CASE I never misused power: Khaleda

Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Khaleda Zia told a special judge’s court in Dhaka on Tuesday that she had never misused her power as a prime minister.
She said this while concluding her statement as the court examined her as an accused in Zia Orphanage Trust graft case.
Before the conclusion of the statement, Dhaka metropolitan special judge Md Akhtaruzzaman granted Khaleda bail in Khaleda Zia in Zia Orphanage Trust graft case and Zia Charitable Trust graft case.
Earlier on November 30, the court issued a warrant for the arrest of Khaleda as she did not appear before the court citing security ground because of general strike.
Khaleda stated that she never gave any illegal order on anyone and while in the office of prime minister, she always performed his duty with honesty and sincerity and never breached law or committed any offence.
‘There was no fund namely “prime minister’s orphanage fund” and it is a non-existent one,’ she stated, ‘I am absolutely innocent and deserve acquittal of the charge.’ 
As her statement defending herself ended, the special court set December 19-21 for placing arguments in the case.
The Anti-Corruption Commission on July 3, 2008 filed the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case with Ramna police station, accusing Khaleda, her son Tarique Rahman, former lawmaker Salimul Haque Kamal, businessman Sharfuddin Ahmed, Dr Kamal Uddin Siddiqui and BNP founder Ziaur Rahman’s nephew Mominur Rahman of raising fund over Tk 21 million from abroad illegally for the welfare of orphans misusing power.
The commission lodged the Zia Charitable Trust graft case against Khaleda and four others with Tejgaon police station on August 8, 2011 accusing them of collecting Tk 31.5 million illegally for the trust from unknown sources misusing power.
At about 3:00pm, BNP and its associate bodies brought out processions at Bangabazar and near the secretariat when Khaleda passed the places after the court proceedings.
Witnesses said that huge police deployed in the area barred the processions, chased the activists and locked in clashes with them. 
The protesters then vandalised a number of vehicles and set fire to a motorcycle in Bangabazar crossing, they said, adding that police charged batons on the protesters and fired tear gas shells to disperse the protesters. 
Shahbagh police station officer-in-charge Md Abul Hasan said that ‘many’ BNP activists were detained from the spot.
He claimed that ‘some’ police members were also injured during the incident.
Later in the evening, BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi at a briefing at Khaleda’s Gulshan office claimed that more than 100 leaders and activists, including BNP’s sports affairs secretary Aminul Haque, were arrested and over 150 were injured by police baton charge and rubber bullets.
He alleged that law enforcers equipped with water cannon and armoured artillery vehicles unleashed ‘reckless attack’ on party leaders and activists.
The BNP leader said government agencies burned and vandalised vehicles during the police attack to divert public attention. 

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net