Appeal hearing on Khaleda Zia’s acquittal today

The Supreme Court yesterday deferred until today the date for hearing the leave to appeal petitions filed by the state and the Anti-Corruption Commission challenging the High Court verdict that acquitted BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia from Zia Charitable Trust corruption case.

A three-member bench led by Justice Md Ashfaqul Islam passed the deferment order after ACC's lawyer Ashif Hassan prayed for an adjournment.

On November 27 last year, the HC acquitted Khaleda in the graft case, in which she was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment by a lower court on October 29, 2018.

The HC also scrapped the trial court verdict that sentenced the BNP chief and two others in the case.

The state and the ACC filed two petitions with the SC, challenging the HC verdict in January and February respectively.

In the petitions, they prayed to the apex court to stay the HC verdict, saying that they will move separate appeals before this court against the HC judgement.