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Supreme Court Stays Khaleda Zia's 10-Year Jail Term

Staff Correspondent; Courts 2024-11-11, 11:02am

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia



The Supreme Court of Bangladesh has temporarily stayed the High Court's decision to double BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia's five-year jail term to 10 years in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case.


The Appellate Division, led by Justice Md Ashfaqul Islam, passed the order on Monday after hearing two separate petitions filed by Khaleda, seeking leave to appeal the High Court verdict. The Court also granted her permission to challenge the HC ruling.

Khaleda, a former prime minister, was sentenced to five years in prison by a special court on February 8, 2018. The sentence was later increased to 10 years on October 30, 2019, following a petition by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

Khaleda's legal team submitted the appeal petitions to the Appellate Division in March 2019, requesting the Court to overturn the 10-year sentence.