Finish trial in 60 days

The High Court yesterday transferred the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case filed against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia to Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge's Court and asked the new trial court to complete the trial proceedings in 60 days from the date it receives the transfer order.

The HC bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Shahidul Karim came up with the order following a revision petition filed by Khaleda on February 8, seeking its order for transferring the case to another court from Special Judge's Court-3.

Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) lawyer Advocate Khurshid Alam Khan told The Daily Star that Judge Abu Ahmed Jomadar of Special Judge's Court-3 will transfer the case to Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Kamrul Hossain Mollah's Court after receiving the HC order.

The latter will resume the trial proceedings of the case from its current stage, he said.

The ACC lawyer said he will inform the ACC about the HC order and then the commission will take decision whether it will move an appeal before the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court challenging the transfer order.

Earlier on February 2, Khaleda submitted an application to the Special Judge's Court-3 of Dhaka expressing no confidence on the judge of that court on various grounds, but the court rejected the no confidence petition.

In the revision petition submitted to HC on February 8, she challenged the order of the Special Judge's Court-3. Meanwhile yesterday, the same HC bench fixed today for passing an order on another petition filed by Khaleda seeking its order for further investigation into a portion of Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case against her.

On March 1, Khaleda submitted the petition to the HC challenging a lower court order that on February 2 rejected her application for reinvestigation into the portion of the case that involves financing for Zia Orphanage Trust.

In the petition, she requested the HC to stay the trial proceedings of the case and to issue a rule asking the authorities concerned to explain why the lower court's rejection order should not be declared illegal.

Advocate Abdur Razzaque Khan appeared for Khaleda, while Advocate Khurshid Alam Khan argued for the ACC.

The ACC filed the case on July 3, 2008 with Ramna Police Station accusing Khaleda, her elder son Tarique Rahman and four others for misappropriating over Tk 2.10 crore that was received as grants for orphans via a foreign bank.

Of the six accused, Khaleda, former BNP lawmaker Salimul Haq Kamal and businessman Sharfuddin Ahmed are on bail while the others including Tarique have been absconding.