DHAKA (Reuters) – Bangladesh’s Supreme Court acquitted former Prime Minister Khaled Zia in a 2008 corruption case on Wednesday, clearing the way for the ailing leader to contest parliamentary elections in the troubled South Asian country.
The ruling is the latest court victory for Khaleda and her family, one of the two main groups that have dominated the country’s politics.
A five-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed acquitted Khaleda, her son Tarique Rahman and others, overturning the jail sentences handed down by the high court in 2018.
At the time, Bangladesh was ruled by Khaleda’s rival, Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted as prime minister in August, when mass protests forced her to resign and flee to neighboring India.
The case, which dates back to 2008, accused Khaleda and others of stealing 21 million taka ($173,000) in foreign donations for an orphanage foundation set up while she was the last prime minister, from 2001 to 2006.
“The case was so bad that both those who appealed and those who could not appeal were all acquitted,” defense attorney Zainul Abedin said after the verdict.
In November, Khaleda, 79, was acquitted in another corruption case in which she was accused of embezzling 31.5 million taka from another trust in 2005.
Last week, Khaleda, who has been battling health problems such as cirrhosis of the liver and heart problems, was flown to London for treatment.
Last month, a high court acquitted Rahman and others of charges related to the 2004 grenade attack on a Hasina rally. Rahman is the acting president of Khaleda’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and was in exile in London.
Since August, Bangladesh has been ruled by an interim government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus.
The BNP has called for general elections to be held by August in the country’s greater interest, citing growing political and economic instability.
($1=121.5000 taka)
