Khaleda seeks fresh probe into Zia Orphanage graft case

Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Khaleda Zia on Monday submitted an application to a special court in Dhaka, seeking a fresh investigation into a case filed over alleged embezzlement of funds against her, her eldest son, Tarique Rahman and four others.
After hearing the arguments in parts from both the prosecution and the defence, in the near-end of the trial, Dhaka Special Judges
Court-3 chair, Md Abu Ahmed Jamadar, set Thursday to hear further if a reinvestigation was necessary. 
The court also asked Khaleda to appear before the court on Thursday for defending herself in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission.
Earlier, she appeared before the makeshift court around 11:15am amid tight security at Bakshibazar in the capital to attend Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Orphanage Trust graft case proceedings. 
Once the court was set, Khaleda’s lawyer Abdur Razzak Khan submitted a petition saying that investigation into the case conducted earlier by the ACC, was faulty. 
Seeking further investigation, the defence lawyer said investigation officer claimed that the foreign remittances deposited to the account of Zia orphanage, at Sonali Bank, had come from Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Disputing the prosecution, Khaleda’s lawyer said the money indeed came from Kuwait not from Saudi Arabia and that the fund was donated by the Emir of the oil-rich Middle Eastern country.
Khaleda’s lawyer also submitted a copy of certificate issued by Kuwait embassy to the court regarding the donation. 
Opposing the petition, ACC lawyer Mosharraf Hossain Kajol told the court that Monday has been set for examining Khaleda Zia under Section 342 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, so there is no scope to file any such petition at the fag end of the trial. 
After hearing both the sides, the court told Khaleda’s lawyers that he would pass an order to this end after a further hearing. 
The court also tried several times to examine Khaleda but her lawyers strongly opposed the move, referring to various legal aspects. 
The defence lawyers prayed for a fresh investigation and only then examining Khaleda would sound reasonable, they said. 
Later, around 4:40pm, the court adjourned the trial proceedings until Thursday following a time petition by Khaleda’s lawyers. 
On July 3, 2008, the ACC had filed Zia Orphanage Trust graft case with the Ramna police, accusing Khaleda, her son Tarique Rahman and four others of embezzling over Tk 2.10 crore. 

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