The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court will deliver its verdict tomorrow on the appeals filed by BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia challenging the High Court (HC) verdict that enhanced the five years' imprisonment handed by the trial court to 10 years in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case.
A five-member bench of the Appellate Division, headed by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed, on Tuesday fixed the date for delivering its judgement after concluding the hearing on the appeals.
At the same time, the apex court will also deliver its verdict on an appeal filed by former BNP lawmaker Kazi Salimul Haque alias Kazi Kamal challenging the HC judgement that upheld his 10 years' imprisonment handed down by the trial court in the same case.
Khaleda Zia was represented in court by senior lawyers Zainul Abedin, Barrister Mahbub Uddin Khokon, Barrister Kaiser Kamal, Barrister Badrud-doza Badol, Barrister Ruhul Quddus Kajal, Advocate Gazi Kamrul Islam Sajal, Advocate Aminul Islam, Advocate Mahbubur Rahman Khan, Advocate Zakir Hossain, and Advocate Maksud Ullah.
Advocate Asif Hossain appeared before the court on behalf of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), while Additional Attorney General Anik R Haque represented the state.
After the hearing, Advocate Zainul Abedin and Barrister Kaiser Kamal expressed optimism, saying: "Khaleda Zia was sentenced by a fabricated court under the fascist Hasina government. We hope that justice will prevail, and Khaleda Zia will get justice and the apex court will deliver a fair verdict tomorrow in the case."
On 11 November last year, the Appellate Division stayed the HC judgement in the case and also allowed Khaleda to file two appeals with it challenging the HC verdict.
The 79-year-old former prime minister then filed the appeals, praying to the apex court to scrap the HC judgment and to acquit her from the case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission.
Pro-BNP lawyers said the former premier was accused in a total of 37 cases filed during the regimes of the former military-backed caretaker government (2007-08) and the Sheikh Hasina-led government on different charges, including corruption, violence, arson, defamation, and sedition.
Of the 37 cases, 12 were scrapped by the HC on 30 and 31 October last year.
The lower courts concerned earlier dismissed nine defamation cases, and the president granted clemency to Khaleda in two cases in which she was sentenced to different prison terms, they said.
The BNP chief is now on bail in the rest of the cases.
The presidential clemency was granted to Khaleda on 6 August last year, a day after Hasina resigned as prime minister and fled the country in the face of a mass uprising.
Earlier, Khaleda Zia landed in jail on 8 February 2018, after a special court in Dhaka had sentenced her to five years in jail in the case.
While sentencing Khaleda, then special judge, Md Akhtaruzzaman, considered her age and social status.
The five other accused, including her son Tarique Rahman and Kazi Kamal, were awarded 10 years' imprisonment for misappropriating over Tk 2.1 crore that had come from a foreign bank in grants for orphans.
