In a landmark ruling, Bangladesh's Supreme Court acquitted former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case, clearing her of all charges. The verdict, delivered by a bench led by Chief Justice Dr. Syed Refaat Ahmed, also exonerated Tarique Rahman, the Acting Chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), and other suspects involved in the case. Zia, who had faced a combined 17 years in prison across multiple corruption charges, had been imprisoned in 2018 but was released on health grounds in 2020. The acquittal comes as a major political victory for Zia and the BNP, which had been in opposition to the ruling Awami League party led by Sheikh Hasina.

The case against Khaleda Zia had started in 2018 when she was sentenced to five years for embezzling government funds, with her sentence later increased to 10 years by the High Court. After years of delays in legal proceedings, Zia's appeal was accepted by the Supreme Court in 2024, which overturned the charges, describing the prosecution as "malicious" and politically motivated. This ruling opens the door for her to run in upcoming elections, as Bangladeshi law prohibits anyone imprisoned for more than two years from contesting elections.

This acquittal comes at a crucial time for Bangladesh's political landscape, as the country faces unrest after the ousting of Sheikh Hasina’s government in August 2024. With a new interim government in place, Khaleda Zia's party, the BNP, is pressing for an election to be held soon. The verdict not only clears Zia's path to political reentry but also strengthens the BNP's stance in the current political discourse surrounding Bangladesh's democratic future.