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Khaleda graft trial resumes in 2 cases

The BNP chief asked to appear in court Dec 8

Court Correspondent
Rejecting all the adjournment petitions, a Dhaka court yesterday resumed trial of the Zia Orphanage and Zia Charitable trust graft cases against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and eight others.
The court, however, accepted two separate petitions filed by the defence seeking Khaleda's exemption from personal appearance before the court citing security reasons.
Judge Basudev Roy of the Special Judge Court-3 recorded part of Harun-ur-Rashid's deposition, dep-
uty director of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and also the complainant of both cases.
On September 22, the same court began trial of the cases in absence of BNP chief and recorded a partial statement from the complainant.
After recording the statement of over 15 minutes duration, the judge was forced to postpone the hearing till December 8 due to chaos created by defence lawyers. The court also asked the ex-premier and four others, all on bail now, in the cases to appear before it on that day.
Earlier in the day, the court rejected six petitions filed by the BNP chief seeking adjournment of the deposition recording in the graft cases.
Mahbub Uddin Khokon, a counsel for Khaleda, submitted the time petitions before the Special Judge Court-3 saying that they filed two separate petitions with the High Court for the transfer of the cases from the court as they "would not get justice" here.
Opposing the petitions, ACC lawyer Mosharraf Hossain Kajol said the apex court had already dismissed all the leave-to-appeal petitions filed by Khaleda, clearingthewayforholdingoftrials.
The four other accused include former BNP lawmaker Kazi Saleemul Haque Kamal, who is on bail, and BNP leader Harris Chowdhury, now absconding.
Advocate Sanaullah Miah represented BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman in his absence.
Khaleda on Sunday submitted two more petitions with the HC expressing no confidence in the Special Judge
Court-3 of Dhaka Judge Basudev Roy, who had framed the charges against her and eight others in Zia Charitable Trust and Zia Orphanage Trust graft cases.
The ACC in 2009 filed the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case for embezzlement of over Tk 2.1 crore by forming a "fake" trust which existed only on paper.
The anti-graft watchdog filed Zia Charitable Trust corruption case in 2011 accusing four people, including Khaleda, of abusing power in setting up the charitable trust.