Graft cases: Zia says no confidence in B'desh court judge

Bangladesh opposition party chief Khaleda Zia today expressed no-confidence in a trial court judge hearing two graft cases involving over USD 6,50,000 which could see her jailed for life.
The 69-year-old Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson's counsel placed the two pleas before the High Court against Abu Ahmed Jamadar of the Special Judge Court-3, who is hearing the Zia Orphanage and Zia Charitable Trust graft cases.
Zia's counsel AM Mahbubu Uddin Khokon placed the petitions before the bench of Justice Md Rezaul Haque and Justice Md Khasruzzaman today, the Dailystar online reported.
The court said it will hear the petitions later when they will come up serially before it.

In the petitions, Zia expressed her apprehension of not getting justice from Jamadar's court as he rejected her two adjournment pleas in the cases on January 7.
She pleaded to the High Court to direct the government to transfer the corruption cases to another judge.

On February 25, Jamadar had issued arrest warrants against Zia, her son Tarique Rahman and another accused in the cases for not appearing before it.
Jamadar was appointed judge at the court on December 18 last year.
In her political career spanning over three decades, this is the first time Zia faces arrest warrants on charges of illegal fund raising and embezzlement.

She was earlier detained by the joint forces on September 2, 2007 during the caretaker government's tenure and was kept behind bars for about a year.
While in detention, she was accused in four corruption cases, including Zia Orphanage Trust graft case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission in July 2008.
The Special Judge's Court-3 issued warrants for Zia's arrest in the orphanage case and Zia Charitable Trust graft case in August 2011, during the previous term of the Awami League government.
The ACC sued Zia and three others for siphoning off 31.5 million taka (about USD 4,00,000) from the Zia Charitable Trust.

She is also accused of embezzling 21.5 million taka (USD 2,77,000) meant for the Zia Orphanage Trust.