Khaleda Zia's graft cases hearing adjourned again

A special court in Bangladesh on Thursday adjourned the hearing of two graft cases against former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.

Judge Abu Ahmed Jamadar of the Special Judge Court-3 passed the order in the presence of Khaleda Zia, who also is the chairperson of her Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), in the courtroom in Dhaka, Xinhua news agency reported.

The court fixed January 12 to conclude hearing Khaleda Zia's defence statement.

The hearing was for the Zia Charitable Trust and Zia Orphanage Trust graft cases.

The court issued the adjournment order Thursday after the defence in a petition sought more time. Khaleda Zia was set to complete her statement in the cases Thursday.

Bangladesh's Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) filed one of the cases in July 2008, saying that Khaleda Zia and five others, including her elder son Tarique Rahman, had embezzled over 20 million taka ($253,164) from an orphanage trust during her 2001-2006 term as the Prime Minister.

In 2011, the anti-graft panel issued to the BNP chief and three others notices for pocketing 31.5 million taka ($397,435) of the Zia Charitable Trust being run in the name of her late husband, former President Ziaur Rahman.

--IANS

ksk/vt