Bangladesh’s Supreme Court has acquitted ex-Prime Minister Khaleda Zia in a 2008 corruption case, overturning a previous 10-year prison sentence.
In 2018, the country’s High Court had convicted Zia and others of misappropriating funds meant for orphans when she was last prime minister, from 2001 to 2006.
But following an appeal, a five-judge panel led by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed on Wednesday acquitted Zia and all other defendants in the case, including her son and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) acting chairperson Tarique Rahman.
“The case was so vile that both those who appealed and those who couldn’t appeal have all been acquitted,” defence lawyer Zainul Abedin told the press after the verdict.
The verdict is the latest judicial victory for 79-year-old Zia and her family from the BNP, one of two main groups that have dominated the country’s politics.
Last November, Zia was also acquitted in another corruption case in which she had been accused of misappropriation of 31.5 million taka ($260,000) from another trust in 2005.
Earlier this month, she was flown to London to treat her health issues including liver cirrhosis and heart problems.
Since August, Bangladesh has been ruled by an interim government led by Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus, after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled to India following mass protests against her rule.
Hasina’s toppling prompted the release of Zia from house arrest later in August. The former prime minister had suspended Zia’s jail term on health grounds in 2020, under the condition that her longtime rival refrain from travelling abroad and participating in politics.
The BNP always maintained that the charges were politically motivated, accusing Hasina’s then-government of targeting Zia for political reasons.
On Wednesday, Zia’s legal team expressed optimism that the Supreme Court’s ruling could pave the way for her to run in the next parliamentary elections, expected to be held late this year or early 2026.
Last month, a high court also acquitted Rahman and others of a 2004 grenade attack on a rally of Hasina.
