Desk Report, 19 March:
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court (SC) this morning stayed till May 8 the High Court order that allowed bail to BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia in Zia Orphanage Trust graft case.
A four-member Appellate Division bench headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain passed the order, granting two leave to appeal petitions filed against the High Court order.
“Leave is granted and stay,” said the apex court after hearing both pleas filed by the state and Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) respectively.
The Appellate Division also asked the state, ACC and the defence to submit the concise statements on their respective appeals in the case within two weeks and set May 8 for holding hearing on the matter.
The Supreme Court yesterday set today for passing the order on the two leave to appeal petitions filed against the High Court order that granted bail to the BNP chief.
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on March 14 had stayed the High Court order till March 18.
The High Court on March 12 granted four-month bail to the BNP chairperson in the case, in which she was sentenced to five years imprisonment.
Following the order, the state and the ACC filed two appeals on March 13, pleading to stay the bail for four months.
On February 8 last, the Dhaka Special Judge Court-5 sentenced Khaleda Zia to five-year imprisonment in the graft case.
It also sentenced other five accused, including Khaleda’s elder son and BNP Senior Vice Chairman Tarique Rahman, to 10-year imprisonment each.
The other persons convicted in the graft case are former lawmaker Kazi Salimul Haque Kamal, businessman Sharfuddin Ahmed, Dr Kamal Uddin Siddiqui and Khaleda’s nephew Mominur Rahman.