Deposition in Khaleda Zia graft cases deferred

The hearing in two cases of corruption in the charitable organisations against former Bangladesh prime minister Khaleda Zia has been deferred to June 19, a media report said.

Khaleda Zia, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chief, did not appear before a Dhaka court Wednesday, bdnews24.com reported.

Khaleda, 68, her son Tarique Rahman and four other people have been accused of pocketing 20 million taka ($253,164) from funds meant for Zia Orphanage Trust in 2008. The charges have been levelled by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

In 2011, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), an anti-graft agency, sued the BNP chief and three others for pocketing 31.5 million taka of the Zia Charitable Trust. The charity was created in the name of her late husband, former president Ziaur Rahman.

The court issued an ultimatum to Khaleda Feb 16, ordering her to appear before it March 19 or face arrest, the report said.

The court framed charges against Khaleda March 19 for allegedly collecting nearly $1 million in donations for charities named after her late husband.

The former leader of opposition earlier skipped 41 hearings.

Last month, a High Court division bench rejected Khaleda's plea to scrap indictment orders against her in the graft cases.

The court fixed May 21 for recording depositions of the witnesses.

If convicted, the two-time former premier might be jailed for life.