Shafiqul Islam (Shafiq)
The BNP chairperson and former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia’s conditional release (temporary) has been extended for another six months. At the request of the family, all the previous conditions were upheld and her sentence was extended for the fourth time. Khaleda Zia’s conditional release was extended for another 6 months. Home Minister (HM) Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal told reporters at the Secretariat on Sunday (September 19).
The home minister said Khaleda Zia’s family had applied for an extension of the conditional bail and medical treatment she was receiving.
That application has been approved after proper scrutiny. The 6-month count will start from September 25.

He said Khaleda Zia was initially given a six-month privilege by suspending her sentence for seeking treatment from her own home. This facility was later extended twice. Now that facility has given again. She will take medical treatment from her home as she wants. However, she will not be able to leave the country. Besides, others conditions will remain in force, the home minister said.

Asked about the family’s demand for permanent release of Khaleda Zia, the minister said the court knew about it and they would have to go to court.
We have taken the measures that we have taken in response to their application. And for others, they have to go to court.

Khaleda Zia’s younger brother Shamim Eskander recently filed an application with the Home Minister seeking permanent release for better treatment in abroad. The application was sent to the Law Ministry for an opinion from the Home Ministry. After that, the law ministry gave an opinion to extend the sentence for another 6 months.

They made no recommendation for permanent release. Khaleda Zia has been in jail since February 8, 2018 after being sentenced to 17 years in prison in the Zia Orphanage Trust and Zia Charitable Trust corruption cases. After 25 months of imprisonment, Khaleda Zia’s sentence was suspended for six months subject to conditions by an executive order of the government on March 25, 2020 in Corona situation.

Then in September last year and in March this year, the sentence was extended by six months in two more phases. With this, the period was extended to 18 months in three phases.

The suspension of sentence is going to end on September 24. Before the expiration of the term, Khaleda Zia’s brother Shamim Eskander applied. In response to that request, Khaleda Zia’s sentence was suspended for another 6 months. 77 years old Khaleda Zia is currently living in her rented house ‘Firoza’ in Gulshan. She is suffering from various problems of old age including arthritis, diabetes and eye problems. She also contracted coronavirus and was treated at the hospital. Besides extending Khaleda Zia’s temporary release, the family also sought permission to take her abroad for treatment