The High Court on Wednesday acquitted BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and two others in the Zia Charitable Trust case.

The High Court bench of Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Syed Enayet Hossain passed the order after accepting a petition filed by Khaleda's lawyers.

The HC also scrapped the lower verdict that sentenced Khaleda and two others in the same case

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Two others who got acquittal are Ziaul Islam Munna, assistant private secretary to Harris Chowdhury, ex-political secretary of then prime minister Khaleda Zia, and Monirul Islam Khan, APS to former Dhaka city mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka.

Senior Advocate Jainul Abedin and Advocate Barrister Kaiser Kamal stood for Khaleda Zia while Advocate Asif Hasan represented the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

Asif Hasan said the court granted petitions of four people including Khaleda Zia and scrapped their jail sentences.

On November 20, the hearing on the appeal petition filed challenging the punishment in the case started while permission was given on November 3 for preparing the paper book of the case.

On October 29, 2018, Judge Md Akhtaruzzaman of the Special Court-5 sentenced BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia and three others to seven years’ rigorous imprisonment each in the much-talked-about Zia Charitable Trust corruption case.

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The court also fined them Tk 10 lakh each, in default, to suffer six months more in jail.

On August 8, 2011, the ACC filed the Zia Charitable Trust graft case with Tejgaon Police Station accusing four people, including Khaleda Zia, of abusing power in raising funds for the trust from unknown sources.

In 2012, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) submitted chargesheet against them