Dhaka: The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court (SC) on Sunday upheld the High Court order rejecting petition filed by BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia to re-record the testimony of 32 witnesses in Zia Charitable Trust graft case.

A three-member Appellate Division bench, led by chief Justice SK Sinha, passed the order after hearing a leave-to-appeal petition.

Lawyer AJ Mohhamad Ali stood for the BNP chairperson while lawyer Kurshid Alam argued for the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC).

On January 12, the HC rejected a petition filed by Khaleda Zia seeking its order to re-record the testimony of 32 witnesses in Zia Charitable Trust graft case.

On December 5 last, Khaleda filed a petition with the HC challenging a lower court order that had rejected the BNP chief’s petition to record statements of witnesses again in the case.

She filed the petition with the trial court saying that the witnesses were not sworn in according to a Supreme Court (SC) circular published in 2009 ahead of recording of their statements.

On August 8, 2010, 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.

The trail proceeding of Zia Charitable Graft Case is underway at the Special Judge Court-3 of Judge Abu Ahmed Jamadar, set up on the premises of Alia Madrasa in the capital’s Bakshibazar.