BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia won’t be able to contest in the upcoming national polls following her conviction in two graft cases, said Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan.

His comment came on Tuesday (Oct 30) after a high court bench extended BNP chief’s jail term from five years to 10 years in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case.

The court also dismissed appeal petitions of two others convicted in the case, Kazi Salimul Haque and Sharfuddin Ahmed and upheld the lower court’s verdict of 10 years imprisonment.

“Court has dismissed all three pleas by the defendants while it accepted ours. Now her (Khaleda Zia) bail will automatically turn ineffective and there’s no scope for her to contest in the national polls,” said Khan.

When asked about provisions in the constitution which bar a person from taking part in polls, he said, “according to the constitution, if someone is convicted for more than two years on charges of moral transgression, he/she won’t be able to contest in an election for the next five years.

Therefore, there’s no scope at all for her to contest in polls according to 66 (2) D section of the constitution.

“It won’t matter even if she appeals because two courts have announced their verdicts,” added Khan.

On Feb 8, special judge-5, Dr Akhtaruzzaman sentenced former prime- minister Khaleda Zia to five-years imprisonment after the court found her guilty of embezzling funds meant for the Zia Orphanage Trust.

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