Khaleda Zia appears before court in corruption cases

Former prime minister and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson Khaleda Zia on 28 December appeared before a Dhaka court in connection with the Zia Orphanage Trust and Zia Charitable Trust corruption cases.

Khaleda's lawyer Khandakar Mahbub is presenting his argument in the orphanage case before Justice Md Akhtaruzzaman of Dhaka Fifth Special Judge Court, reported the Dhaka Tribune.

In July 2008, Bangladesh's Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the case against six people, including Khaleda and her eldest son Tarique Rahman, for allegedly misusing Tk2.1 crore that had come as grants for orphans from a foreign bank.

Three years later, in addition to this, the anti-graft body accused the BNP leader and three others of misappropriating Tk3.15 crore from the Zia Charitable Trust Fund, the report said. 

-ANI