Khaleda gets bail in five cases

Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Khaleda Zia was granted bail on Tuesday in five cases on various charges including sedition, sabotage and graft.
After securing bail from different courts in Dhaka, Khaleda, also former prime minister, flashed a V-sign to hundreds of party activists, who were chanting slogans.
Khaleda is facing charges of sedition for her statement doubting the number of martyrs and the role of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the Awami League in the in the War for Independence, sabotage for firebomb attack on a bus at Matuail on January 23, 2015 that killed a passenger injured several others.
The three other cases were filed for crude bomb blast during an anti-blockade procession led by shipping minister Shajahan Khan at Gulshan-2 on February 17, 2015 and on graft charges for awarding contact to GATCO for handling services at Chittagong port.
Khaleda went to the court complex in the Old Dhaka amid multi-tier security and surrendered to the Metropolitan Special Tribunal seeking bail in case filed with Jatrabari police station under the Special Powers Act 1974 on charge of sabotage for firebomb attack on a bus at Matuail on January 23, 2015.
The tribunal judge, Kamrul Hossain Mollah, on March 30 issued warrants for the arrest of Khaleda and 27 other BNP leaders in the case.
Khaleda’s defence counsel argued that that she was not named in the first information report and she was confined to her Gulshan office by law enforcers during the commission of the offence.
Her counsel AJ Mohammad Ali argued that Khaleda was falsely implicated in the case on ill political intention and although the charge sheet was submitted on May 18, 2015, the prosecution sought warrant for her arrest at the government’s convenient time.
Special public prosecutor Abdullah Abu replied that the offence was committed under Khaleda’s instruction aiming at toppling the democratic government destabilising the country.
The tribunal granted bail to Khaleda and her adviser Khandker Mahbub Hossain, also a senior Supreme Court lawyer, who sought bail in the case, said their counsel Sana Ullah Miah.
Khaleda then appeared before the Special Judge’s Court-3 seeking bail in the GATCO graft case following a High Court directive.
Anti-Corruption Commission lawyer Mosharaf Hossain Kajal told the court that Khaleda had never misused the bail she was granted earlier.
The judge of the court, Abu Ahmed Jamadar also granted her bail in the case and posted for April 13 the trial in the case.
Khaleda then rushed to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court.
In the case of sedition, the defence counsel argued that Khaleda never made remarks maligning freedom fighters and their role rather she wanted a complete list of freedom fighters in order to ensure their proper rehabilitation.
Her counsel Sana Ullah Miah argued that the approval for the sedition case was given illegally.
The government on January 21 sanctioned the filing of the sedition case against Khaleda for her remarks doubting the number of martyrs of the War for Independence in response to an application pro-Awami League lawyer Mamtazuddin Ahmed Mehedi.
Public prosecutor Abduallah Abu opposed the petition while metropolitan magistrate Zakir Hossain Tipu granted the bail.
In the Gulshan bomb blast case, Sanaullah argued that Khaleda was not named in the case filed by Ruling Awami League-backed Sramik Oikya Parishad leader Ismail Hossain Bachchu for the crude bomb blast in an anti-blockade procession led by shipping minister Shajahan Khan at Gulshan-2 on February 17, 2015.
He also argued that Khaleda was confined to her office and was incommunicado as all utility services were disconnected for a long time.
Metropolitan magistrate Kaisarul Islam asked the defence counsel about their arguments on confessions made by four suspects in the case implicating the BNP leadership.
The defence counsel replied that they were yet to go through the confessional statements.
Metropolitan magistrate Maruf Hossain granted bail to Khaleda in the other case filed with Jatrabari police station on murder charge for the firebomb attack on bus at Matuail on January 23, 2015.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net