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Former PM of Bangladesh Khaleda Zia has been acquitted by the Supreme Court after serving jail sentence from 2018 for the acquisition of stealing 21 Million Taka in foreign donations under the veil of Orphanage Fund setup. The Former PM along with her son and several others were imprisoned for the graft case during her government period from 2001 to 2006.
A five Judge Panel led by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed on Wednesday acquitted Khaleda Zia and her son Tarique Rahman, which now probes her to compete in the upcoming parliamentary elections with an upper hand. The verdict now strikes headlines as the majority of the accused have been freed. Regarding the verdict, defence lawyer Zainul Abedin remarked that “The case was so vile that both those who appealed and those who couldn’t appeal have all been acquitted”, as per reports from Reuters.
I am deeply grateful to His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, for graciously providing transportation and logistics for my mother, former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Begum Khaleda Zia.
— Tarique Rahman (@trahmanbnp) January 9, 2025
On behalf of my family and the people of Bangladesh,… pic.twitter.com/6lajcsdIN8
At the time of Khaleda Zia’s arrest, Bangladesh was administered by Sheik Hasina, the last Prime Minister who was ousted upon the huge public outcry and protest. Sheik Hasina fled the country last August after her resignation. The tension between the two major political families have always been public and the said repulsion was also said to be a reason for the accusations against Khaleda Zia.
The Former PM fell ill only last week and was transported immediately for medical help to London. While her son Rahman is the head of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), her return will nudge a great advantage for smoothening the current political unrest in Bangladesh.
Currently the country is being governed by the Interim Prime Minister Muhammad Yunus, a Nobel Prize Laureate and regarding the electoral possibilities, the BNP has requested for a parliamentary election in August of 2025.
Former Minister & Bangladesh Nationalist Party Leader Abdullah Al Noman pass away
