Dhaka: Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Chairperson Khaleda Zia left her Gulshan residence for court in the morning as a Dhaka court will deliver its verdict in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case filed against Khaleda Zia and five others on Thursday.

The former prime minister started from her Gulshan residence, Firoza for the Special Judge Court at Alia Madrassa field at Bakshibazar in Dhaka’s old town at about 11:40am, said BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office media official Shayrul Kabir Khan.

However, security beefed up across the city centring the verdict of Zia Orphange Trust Graft case. Members of law enforcer agencies are deployed on the road.  

Judge Mohamamd Akhtaruzzaman of the makeshift court fixed the date on January 25 on completion of the argument hearing.

The Anti-Corruption Commission filed the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case on July 3, 2008 with Ramna Police Station accusing Khaleda Zia, her eldest son Tarique Rahman, who is now living in the UK, and four others of misappropriating over 2.10 crore that came as grants from a foreign bank for orphans.

Four other accused are former BNP MP Salimul Haq Kamal and businessman Sharfuddin Ahmed, former principal secretary to the PM Kamal Uddin Siddique and Mominur Rahman, nephew of late President Ziaur Rahman.

Kamal Uddin Siddique and Mominur Rahman have been absconding.

Zia Orphanage Trust Graft Case at a glance:

•          Case filed with Ramna police on 3 July 2008

•          Plaintiff and investigation official of the case is deputy director of Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Harun-Aur Rashid.

•          The case statement says the embezzlement took place from 13 November 1993 to 28 March 2007.

•          Charges framed: 5 August 2010.

•          Number of proceeding days: 261

•          Number of days Khaleda Zia appear before the court: 43

•          Khaleda Zia gave self-defence statements 8 days

•          On 25 January 2018 Special Court-5 Judge Dr Akhteruzzaman fixed 8 February 2018 for delivering the verdict of the case.