Khaleda ZiaThree-term PM of Bangla, widow of deceased dictator Ziaur Rahman, head of the Bangla Nationalist Party, an apparent magnet for corruption ...
on charge of abusing power to set up a charitable trust named after late president Ziaur Rahman.
After scrutinising the documents, Metropolitan Magistrate Md Erfan Ullah directed the investigation officer of the case to submit a probe report by October 10.
The Anti-Corruption Commission filed the case Monday against Khaleda Zia and three others.
The three other accused are Abul Harris Chowdhury, political secretary to the then prime minister; his assistant personal secretary Ziaul Islam Munna; and Monirul Islam Khan, APS to Dhaka City Corporation's incumbent mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka.
The case, filed with Tejgaon Police Station by ACC Assistant Director Harunur Rashid, follows almost two years of enquiry that began in October 2009.
According to the first information report, Tk 7.81 crore was deposited in the trust account in a week starting from January 13, 2005.
Khaleda, as the first managing trustee, opened the account with the PMO branch of Sonali Bank on January 1 that year.
Of the trust fund, Tk 6.19 crore came from BNP and the rest from unknown sources.
On January 16, 2005, Tk 1.35 crore was deposited in the trust account in five pay orders issued by an organization called Metro Makers and Developers Ltd.
Then on January 18, Harris's APS Ziaul Islam deposited more than Tk 27 lakh.
Tk 6.19 crore that came from different BNP accounts bore signatures of Tarique Rahman, Khaleda's elder son, and former BNP secretary general Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, among others.
A 42-katha land was bought from one Suraiya Khan for Tk 6.52 crore from the trust, named Shaheed Zia Charitable Trust. The land registered on January 19, 2005, has yet to be mutated in the trust's name.
The money was transferred to Suraiya's account by two cheques signed by Khaleda.
Suraiya was also paid Tk 1.25 crore in addition to the price of the land, said the FIR adding that the source of that sum too could not be known.
AFM Jahangir, managing director of Metro Makers and Developers Ltd, told the ACC Sherlocks that the company never donated any money to the trust.
He said DCC mayor's APS Monirul Islam used the company's name to deposit the money. He also mentioned that Harris Chowdhury had given Monirul the money for depositing in the account.
"Khaleda Zia established the name-only trust using her cantonment address [her then residence]. She along with her two sons abused power to collect money in the trust's name only to serve their personal interests," the FIR said.