Dhaka: Several hundred BNP leaders and activists are escorting their party chief Khaleda Zia’s vehicle to Bakshibazar makeshift court on Thursday afternoon.

The BNP men encircled the Khaleda’s vehicle braving police obstruction when it reached FDC area around 12:30pm and started moving with the vehicle.

The BNP chief left her Gulshan residence for the court around 11:45am amid tight security.

The Anti-Corruption Commission filed the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case on July 3, 2008 with Ramna Police Station accusing Khaleda, her eldest son Tarique Rahman, now living in the UK, and four others of misappropriating over 2.10 crore that came as grants from a foreign bank for orphans.

Four other accused are former BNP MP Salimul Haq Kamal and businessman Sharfuddin Ahmed, former principal secretary Kamal Uddin Siddique and Mominur Rahman, nephew of late President Ziaur Rahman. 

Kamal Uddin Siddique and Mominur Rahman have long been absconding.

Zia Orphanage Trust Graft Case at a glance:

•        Case filed with Ramna police on 3 July 2008

•        Plaintiff and investigation official of the case is deputy director of Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Harun-Aur Rashid.

•        The case statement says the embezzlement took place from 13 November 1993 to 28 March 2007.

•        Charges framed: 5 August 2010.

•        Number of proceeding days: 261

•        Number of days Khaleda Zia appear before the court: 43

•        Khaleda Zia gave self-defence statements 8 days

•        On 25 January 2018 Special Court-5 Judge Dr Akhteruzzaman fixed 8 February 2018 for delivering the verdict of the case.