The hearing on the appeals filed by the state and the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) against the High Court’s acquittal of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in the Zia Charitable Trust case is set for March 2. The decision was made by a three-judge Appellate Division bench led by senior Justice Md. Ashfaqul Islam. Previously, on February 16, the state appealed against the High Court’s verdict, which had acquitted Khaleda Zia on November 27, 2023. The High Court bench of Justice A.K.M. Asaduzzaman and Justice Syed Enayetur Rahman also acquitted co-accused Ziaul Islam, former secretary to Haris Chowdhury, and Monirul Islam Khan, former secretary to ex-mayor Sadeq Hossain Khoka. Khaleda Zia’s legal team, including senior lawyer Zainul Abedin and Barrister Kaiser Kamal, argued that she had been legally exonerated and questioned the necessity of the appeal. They emphasized that she did not seek clemency as she believed she was innocent. The case originated from a corruption charge filed by the ACC on August 8, 2010, alleging the illegal transaction of Tk 3.15 crore through the Zia Charitable Trust. Following investigations, the ACC pressed charges against Khaleda Zia and three others in 2012, leading to a trial that concluded with a guilty verdict on October 29, 2018. The special court sentenced Khaleda Zia and her co-accused to seven years in prison and fined them Tk 10 lakh, with an additional six-month sentence for non-payment. Among the convicted, Haris Chowdhury remained a fugitive until his death, while the others pursued appeals in the High Court, resulting in their acquittal.