DHAKA: BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has given her self-defense statement in the Zia Charitable Trust Graft and Zia Orphanage Trust Graft cases for over an hour on Thursday (November 16) and will continue the next day.

The court asked the BNP chief to appear before it on November 23 for placing her further self-defense statement in the two graft cases.

Dr Md Akhteruzzaman, judge the Special Judge Court-5 set up in on the premises of Dhaka Alia Madrasah at Bakshi Bazar in the city, recorded her Thursday’s statement and extended Khaleda Zia’s bail until November 23.

The court also closed recording statements of the witnesses in the Zia Charitable Trust Graft case.

In July 2008, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the Zia Orphanage Trust Graft case with Ramna police station accusing Khaleda Zia, her eldest son Tarique Rahman, and four others of misappropriating over Tk 2.10 crore that had come as grants from a foreign bank for orphans.

On August 8 in 2011, the ACC filed the Zia Charitable Trust Graft case with Tejgaon police station, accusing four people, including the BNP chief, of raising funds for the trust from unknown sources through power abuse.

BDST: 1425 HRS, NOV 16, 2017
EHJ