DHAKA: A Dhaka court on Thursday has fixed May 8 for holding hearing on BNP Chief Khaleda Zia's self defence statement in Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case filed by the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC).

The judge of Senior Special Judges Court-3, Kamrul Hossain Mollah, passed the order following a petition filed by Khaleda seeking more time for placing her incomplete statement. 

Earlier the special judge court-3 at Old Dhaka's Baskhibazar fixed Thursday (April 27) for placing Khaleda’s statement. 

However, the former prime minister filed the petition through her lawyers without appearing before court.
 
According to the time seeking petition, Khaleda Zia has filed for a case transfer petition on Wednesday (April 26) with the high Court stating ‘no confidence’ on judge in the orphanage trust case. The hearing of the petition is yet to be held.

Earlier on Wednesday (April 26), Khaleda’s lawyer Barrister Zakir Hossain Bhuiyan filed the petition where Khaleda also appealed for a stay order on the trial proceedings at the Senior Special Judge’s Court-3.

On April 13, Khaleda appealed to Senior Special Judge’s Court-3 for transferring the case to the HC stating no confidence on judge as the judge Kamrul Hossain Mollah was a former ACC director. 

But the court rejected her appeal and asked to appeal again in the High Court. The BNP chief submitted the latest petition with the High Court following the rejection order.
 
However, Khaleda’s first plea for case transfer was approved in the HC one and a half month ago.

On March 8, the HC gave an order to transfer the case from the Special Judge Court-3 to the Senior Special Judge's Court, and asked the latter to dispose of the case in 60 days.

After holding hearing, Judge Kamrul Hossain Mollah fixed April 27 for placing Khaleda's self-defence statements in the case.

BDST: 1431 HRS, APR 27, 2017
AP/SMS