Shawdesh Desk:

The law ministry on Wednesday formally turned down a request of the family of the main opposition Bangladesh National Party chairperson and former prime minister Khaleda Zia to the home ministry, seeking permission for her treatment abroad and an extension of her release.

In a press conference on Wednesday at his ministry, law minister Anisul Huq said that they have opined about the extension of her release, but there is no legal scope to allow the convicted former minister to travel abroad for treatment.

‘The opinion of the law ministry is being sent to the home ministry,’ he told reporters.

The law ministry’s opinion for extending the suspension of her sentence for another six months on the existing two conditions—she would stay at her Gulshan house and would not leave the country— was being sent to the home ministry, the law minister said.

The minister argued that since her application was disposed under Section 401 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, there is no scope to take steps in this regard except extending jail term suspension.

Khaleda’s younger brother Shamim Eskander applied to the ministry on behalf of the family on March 6. In the letter he stated that his elder sister Khaleda’s life was at great risk and to save her life, she needs treatment abroad.

According to Khaleda Zia’s medical board’s decision, the BNP chairperson was taken to Evercare Hospital in the capital on March 13.

She was brought back to her rented Gulshan house from the hospital the following day.

Khaleda Zia was sent to the old Dhaka Central Jail as a lower court sentenced her to five years imprisonment in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case on February 8, 2018.

Later, she was found guilty and convicted in another corruption case the same year.

Amid the Coronavirus outbreak, the government freed Khaleda Zia from jail through an executive order suspending her sentence on March 25, 2020, with the condition that she would stay at home and not leave the country.

The suspension of her sentence has since been extended multiple times.

The government has several times turned down the requests of Khaleda’s family to allow her to go abroad for treatment.