Dhaka: A day after securing bail from the apex court, BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia yesterday moved several other courts to secure bail in six cases in which she was being shown arrested. Among the six cases, two courts in Dhaka directed the authorities concerned to execute the arrest warrant against Khaleda Zia in two cases without granting bail and without issuing any production warrant or custody warrant.
This has created uncertainty over her release from jail. However, there is a positive development relating to four other cases. A Dhaka court withdrew the production warrant issued against Khaleda Zia earlier in the Niko corruption case. Three judges of the Dhaka court heard the petitions submitted by advocate Sanaullah Miah, on behalf of the BNP chief, seeking withdrawal of the production warrant issued by the court against her in the Gatco and Barapukuria coal mine and Zia Charitable Trust graft cases.
The court is likely to pass its order on two petitions relating to the Gatco and Barapukuria coal mine graft cases, while
another trial court will pass its order on June 4 on the production warrant in the Zia Charitable Trust graft case.
If the court withdraws the production warrant against her in the Gatco and Barapukuria coal mine and Zia Charitable Trust graft cases, the BNP chief will have to seek bail in seven cases in which she was being shown arrested after she had landed in jail, defence lawyers said.
Among the seven cases, three were in a Comilla court filed over arson attacks in Comilla during the nationwide blockade enforced by her party in 2015. One was in a Narail court filed against her for undermining the martyrs of the 1971 Liberation War, while she was shown arrested in another case over an arson attack in Khulna during the countrywide blockade.
The remaining two other cases are in a Dhaka court filed over her “fake” birthday celebration and undermining the sanctity of the national flag.
Advocate Sanaullah Miah told this correspondent that they filed two separate petitions before two separate metropolitan magistrates yesterday, seeking Khaleda Zia’s bail after issuing a production warrant or custody warrant in connection with two cases filed against her over her birthday celebration and undermining the national flag.
“But the CMM court did not grant her bail. Rather, the judges asked the government to implement the arrest warrant against her without issuing any production or custody warrant,” he added The courts should have issued a custody warrant as the BNP chief is now in jail. But it did not do that. Rather it passed a technical order, violating the laws of the land, Sanaullah Miah alleged. After hearing the bail petitions of the BNP chief, the metropolitan magistrates, Md Khursid Alam and Md Ahsan Habib, asked the authorities to execute the arrest warrant against Khaleda Zia in the two cases.
Earlier, other courts issued arrest warrants against her in both the cases. The court also fixed July 5 for submitting reports on the execution order of arrest warrants for Khaleda in the two cases. AB Siddique, president of Jananetri Parishad, a pro-Awami League organisation, on November 3, 2016, had filed the case accusing Khaleda and her late husband, Ziaur Rahman, of undermining Bangladesh’s map and the national flag.
On August 30, 2016, Gazi Zahirul Islam, former joint general secretary of the Dhaka Union of Journalists, had filed the other case against Khaleda for allegedly celebrating fake birthdays on August 15 every year. In the complaint, he had mentioned that Khaleda’s actual date of birth was not August 15, but she celebrates her birthday on that date every year to undermine and dishonour Bangabandhu.
According to sources, the BNP chief is now facing 36 cases filed against her at different times. If the government shows her arrested in other cases, she may have to wait behind bars as the lawsuits now appear to be obstacles to her release from prison.
