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Bangladeshi ex-PM Khaleda's graft case hearing adjourned again

Xinhua, January 5, 2017 Adjust font size:

A special court in Bangladesh court Dhaka Thursday adjourned until Jan. 12 the hearing of two graft cases against ex-Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.

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

Khaleda Zia appeared at the makeshift court in old part of capital Dhaka on Thursday morning for hearing in the Zia Charitable Trust and Zia Orphanage Trust graft cases against her.

Earlier the court on Dec. 21 deferred the hearing of Khaleda's presentation of self defence and set the date for Jan. 5.

The court came up with the adjournment order Thursday in response to a petition filed by the defense seeking 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 and five others including her elder son Tarique Rahman had embezzled over 20 million taka ( 253,164 U.S. dollars) from an orphanage trust during her 2001-2006 term as prime minister.

In 2011, the anti-graft body sued the BNP chief and three others for pocketing 31.5 million taka (397,435 U.S. dollars) of the Zia Charitable Trust in the name of her late husband, former President Ziaur Rahman.

Khaleda said political vendettas are to blame for the cases against her and her sons during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina 's incumbent government, against which she has been leading the opposition procession from her party. Endit