Law doesn't permit sending Khaleda abroad for treatment: law minister

Law Minister Anisul Huq today said there is no provision in the law to send BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia abroad for treatment.

"As far as I know, a process has been initiated to place a pacemaker on Khaleda Zia as part of her cardiovascular treatment. We received no application on sending her abroad," the law minister said.

"Khaleda Zia's jail sentence has been suspended under an executive order which was issued on the basis of a law. And under this law, there is no scope for sending her abroad," he said.

Anisul was replying to questions from journalists after attending as chief guest the inauguration of the training course for senior assistant judges at Judicial Administration Training Institute (JATI) in Dhaka.

The minister told reporters that Khaleda Zia was released from jail on March 25, 2020, after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina suspended her jail sentence with an executive order on humanitarian grounds.

Replying to a question, he said there is no necessity to formulate a new law for collecting wealth statements from government officials.

He said the existing provision requires government officials to submit their wealth statement at the entry stage of their services and from time to time they have to update those.

The law minister, however, urged journalists to be alert about maligning any honest officials.

JATI's Director General Justice Hasan Foez Siddique presided over the function where Law and Justice Division Secretary Md Golam Sarwar also spoke.