The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

The High Court yesterday stayed the operation of a notice of Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) asking detained former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia to submit her wealth statement.

The stay order was issued four days after the High Court declared illegal an identical notice served on Khaleda Zia's arch rival former premier Sheikh Hasina.

A bench comprising Justice Shah Abu Nayeem Mominur Rahman and Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury also directed the ACC and the Ministry of Home Affairs to explain within eight weeks why the notice should not be declared illegal.

The order came on a writ petition filed by the lawyers of Zia, also the chairperson of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

The same bench last week declared illegal the ACC notice demanding the wealth statement of Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina, saying the anti-graft watchdog did not follow due process of law in notifying Sheikh Hasina.

Hasina had also challenged the legality of the ACC notice contending that it did not follow the set rules in asking for her wealth statement.

Both the ex-premiers are detained in separate sub-jails on the premises of the parliament complex and they challenged the ACC notices from behind bars.

On July 17, the ACC served notices on former prime ministers Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina asking them to submit their wealth statements.

In the notices the anti-graft watchdog asked the chiefs of BNP and Awami League to submit statements of their movable and immovable property to the ACC.

Khaleda Zia, the BNP chairperson, submitted her statement of wealth to the ACC on August 6, mentioning that she has property worth Tk 3.54 crore accumulated through seven sources of income, including government donation, life insurance, house rent, pension and other benefits of her husband, the slain president Ziaur Rahman.

Her wealth also includes a 1300cc Toyota car, two Toyota jeeps and one Nissan jeep.

Barrister Rafique-ul-Huq appeared for Khaleda Zia.Khaleda Zia was arrested on September 3 in connection with the GATCO scam case, while Hasina was detained on July 16. Both are facing with a number graft charges as part of a massive anti-graft campaign being spearheaded by the caretaker government under the emergency rule.