FT ONLINE

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday morning stayed till March 18 the High Court order that granted bail to BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia in Zia Orphanage Trust graft case.

A four-member Appellate Division bench headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain passed the order following two appeal petitions filed by Anti- Corruption Commission (ACC) and the state.

"Adjourned to March 18 and stay," the apex court said, asking the ACC and state to file regular leave to appeal pleas by that day.

The High Court on March 12 granted four-month bail to the BNP chairperson in the case, in which she was sentenced to five years imprisonment.

Following the order, the state and the ACC filed two appeals on March 13, pleading to stay the bail for four months.

Yesterday Justice Hasan Foez Siddique, Chamber Judge of Appellate Division, sent the appeal matters to the full bench of the apex court for hearing today.

On February 8 last, the Dhaka Special Judge Court-5 sentenced Khaleda Zia to five-year imprisonment in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case.

It also sentenced other five accused, including Khaleda's elder son and BNP Senior Vice Chairman Tarique Rahman, to 10-year imprisonment each.

The other persons convicted in the graft case are former lawmaker Kazi Salimul Haque Kamal, businessman Sharfuddin Ahmed, Dr Kamal Uddin Siddiqui and Khaleda's nephew Mominur Rahman.