HC clears way to try Khaleda

The High Court has cleared the way for a lower court to continue trial proceedings against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in Zia Charitable Trust corruption case.

The HC bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Amir Hossain yesterday rejected two separate revision petitions filed by Khaleda seeking a stay on the trial proceedings.

Following yesterday's order, there is now no legal bar for the lower court to continue the trial proceedings against Khaleda, Anti-Corruption Commission lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan told The Daily Star.

Raghib Rauf Chowdhury, a lawyer for Khaleda, told reports that they would move an appeal before the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court against the HC order.

On April 18, the BNP chief filed two separate revision petitions with the HC challenging a lower court order that rejected her two applications in the graft case lodged by the ACC on August 8, 2011.

One of the applications was filed for re-cross examination of the investigation officer of the case while the other for scrutinising the case diary.

The applications were lodged with the court at Bakshibazar in Khaleda's presence the previous day.

On May 10, the HC fixed May 15 (yesterday) for passing an order on the revision petitions.

Other accused in the case are Harris Chowdhury, Khaleda's former political secretary, Ziaul Islam Munna, assistant private secretary of Harris, and

Monirul Islam Khan, APS of former Dhaka city mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka.

Harris is on the run.