The family of BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia on Sunday sought an extension of suspension on the jail sentence of the former prime minister.
On behalf of Khaleda Zia's younger brother Shamim Iskander, the BNP chief’s adviser Bijon Kanti Sarker and her personal secretary Abdus Sattar submitted an application to the home ministry in this regard, said Sayrul Kabir Khan, a member of BNP’s media cell.
In the application, Sayrul said Shamim Iskander sought Khaleda’s unconditional release and the government's permission to send her abroad for advanced treatment, reports UNB.
Contacted, an official at the home ministry, wishing anonymity, said they received the application and it will be forwarded to the law ministry for a legal opinion.
He said the application will be later sent to the Prime Minister’s office with the law ministry’s recommendations before taking the final decision on the matter.
So far, the suspension of Khaleda Zia's prison sentence has been extended five times. The current suspension of her sentence will end on March 23.
Earlier on Saturday, Law Minister Anisul Huq said the government will extend the suspension of the BNP chief’s jail sentences in two corruption cases if the family files any petition.
Amid the Coronavirus outbreak, the government freed Khaleda Zia from jail for six months on March 25 in 2020 through an executive order suspending her sentence on the condition that she would stay in her Gulshan house and would not leave the country.
The former prime minister was sent to Old Dhaka Central Jail after she was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment by a special court in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case on February 8, 2018. She was convicted in a second corruption case later.
The 77-year-old BNP chief has been staying at her Gulshan residence since her release from jail. During this period she had been admitted to Dhaka’s Evercare Hospital several times. A special team of her personal physicians has been overseeing her treatment.