TL;DR:
- Former Bangladesh PM Khaleda Zia has been acquitted by the High Court, overturning her 7-year prison sentence and Tk 10 lakh fine in the Zia Charitable Trust corruption case after nearly six years.
- The case, filed in 2011 by the Anti-Corruption Commission, accused Zia and three others of misappropriating Tk 6.52 crore for purchasing 42 kathas of land during her 2001-2006 term as prime minister.
- The landmark verdict was delivered by Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Syed Enayet Hossain’s bench, which also acquitted two other accused persons – Ziaul Islam and Monirul Islam Khan.
- Despite this acquittal and her recent complete freedom granted by President Mohammed Shahabuddin, Zia remains ineligible to participate in elections for the next five years.
The High Court of Bangladesh today acquitted former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, overturning her seven-year prison sentence in the long-running Zia Charitable Trust corruption case. The landmark decision was delivered by the bench of Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Syed Enayet Hossain.
The ruling marks a significant reversal of the October 2018 verdict, when a special court had found Zia guilty of misappropriating Tk 6.52 crore (approximately $6 million) during her tenure as prime minister. The funds were allegedly used for various purposes, including purchasing 42 kathas of land in the capital for the trust.
“The prosecution has been able to prove the charges beyond reasonable doubt,” the special court had stated in its 2018 verdict, which also ordered the confiscation of the disputed land in favor of the government.
The case, initially filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission in August 2011, accused Zia and three others of abusing their power to raise funds from unknown sources for the trust, which was established during her 2001-2006 term as prime minister.
This acquittal follows President Mohammed Shahabuddin’s August 16 decision to commute Zia’s prison terms, effectively granting her complete freedom. However, despite her legal victory, the 78-year-old opposition leader remains ineligible to participate in elections for the next five years.
The Zia Charitable Trust case is one of numerous legal challenges faced by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson. In February 2018, she was sentenced to five years imprisonment in a separate corruption case involving the Zia Orphanage Trust, which prevented her from contesting the December 2018 parliamentary elections.
Both trusts were established during Zia’s terms as prime minister and were named after her late husband, former President Ziaur Rahman, who founded the BNP. The former prime minister has consistently maintained her innocence, with her party claiming the cases were politically motivated.
Today’s verdict represents a major shift in Bangladesh’s political landscape, coming months after Sheikh Hasina’s departure from power and subsequent flight to India in August 2024.
Source: TBS News
