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On 3 July 2008, during the 2007–08 caretaker government rule, the ACC had filed a graft case, accusing Zia and five others of misappropriating over Tk 2.1 crore that had come from a foreign bank as grants for orphans. According to the case, on 9 June 1991, a $1.255-million (Tk 4.45-crore) grant was transferred from United Saudi Commercial Bank to the Prime Minister's Orphanage Fund – a fund that was created by then Prime Minister Zia shortly before the transfer of the grant as part of the embezzlement scheme. On 5 September 1993, she issued a Tk 2.33-crore cheque from the Prime Minister's Orphanage Fund to the Zia Orphanage Trust on the pretext of building an orphanage in Bogra. By April 2006, the deposited amount grew to Tk 3.37 crore with accrued interest. In April, June, and July 2006, some of the money was transferred to bank accounts of three other accused – Salimul, Mominur, and Sharfuddin;– through different transactions. On 15 February 2007, Tk 2.10 crore was withdrawn through pay orders from two of the FDR accounts. Zia was accused of misappropriating that money by transferring the amount from a public fund to a private one.

On 8 February 2018, during the Awami League government's rule, Zia was sentenced to prison for five years in that corruption case. Mobile phone jammers were installed at the Bakshibazar court premises ahead of the verdict. Her party claimed that the verdict was politically biased. Zia was sent to the Old Dhaka Central Jail after the verdict. She was imprisoned as the sole inmate at the jail since all the inmates had been transferred to the newly built Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj in 2016. On 11 February 2018, Dhaka Special Judge's Court 5 directed the authorities of Dhaka Central Jail to provide first-class division to Zia. On 31 October 2018, the High Court raised her jail term to 10 years after the ACC pleaded for a revision.

On 30 October 2018, in another case, the Zia Charitable Trust graft case, Zia was sentenced to 7 years of rigorous imprisonment. Khaleda was also accused in 32 other cases, including the Gatco graft case, the Niko graft case, the Barapukuria Coalmine graft case, the Darussalam Police Station cases, the Jatrabari Police Station cases, the Sedition case, the Bomb Attack on Shipping Minister case, the Khulna Arson case, the Comilla Arson case, the Celebrating Fake Birthday case, the Undermining National Flag case, and the Loan Default case.

Zia's nomination papers to contest for the Feni-1, Bogra-6 and Bogra-7 constituencies at the 2018 general election were rejected. She was not able to contest because, according to Article 66(2)(d) of the constitution, "a person shall be disqualified for election as, or for being, a member of parliament who has been, on conviction for a criminal offence involving moral turpitude, sentenced to imprisonment for a term of not less than two years, unless a period of five years has elapsed since his/her release." Her party lost that general election to the Awami League.

Zia was admitted to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University for medical treatment on 1 April 2019. The High Court and the Supreme Court rejected her bail plea on humanitarian grounds a total of four times.

On 25 March 2020, Zia was released from prison for six months, conditioned to stay at her home in Gulshan and not leave the country. The government issued this executive decision as per section 401(1) of the Criminal Code of Procedure (CrPC). By 2021, the term of her release had been extended four times.

After the fall of the Hasina government, she was acquitted in several cases.

On 27 November 2024, Zia was acquitted in the Charitable Trust graft and Barapukuria graft cases.

On 15 January 2025, Zia was acquitted in the orphanage trust graft case.

2024 release

=================

After Sheikh Hasina was ousted as prime minister during the 2024 non-cooperation movement, on 5 August, President Mohammed Shahabuddin ordered Zia's release. Shortly afterward, she made her first public statements since 2018 from her medical confinement, during which she praised "the brave people who were in a do-or-die struggle to make possible the impossible" and urged restraint and the need for "love and peace" in rebuilding Bangladesh. On 13 August, the home ministry restored her police escort privileges that had been removed by Sheikh Hasina's government in 2015. On 19 August, Zia's bank accounts, which had been frozen since 2007, were ordered unblocked by the National Board of Revenue.

In 2025, Zia stated that she would contest the 2026 general election, announcing her candidacies for the seats of Bogra-7, Feni-1, and Dinajpur-3. However, it was also announced that the BNP's election campaign would be run under the leadership and image of her son, Tarique.

Illness and death

=================

Zia had been suffering from chronic kidney conditions, decompensated liver diseases, unstable hemoglobin, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and other age-related complications since 2021. In April 2021, several staff members in Zia's home tested positive for COVID-19. Zia was also found to have contracted the virus, but she exhibited no symptoms and recovered later. On 28 November, the medical board formed for Zia's treatment announced that she had been suffering from liver cirrhosis. A plea for her to be allowed to seek medical care abroad was denied by the court. Zia underwent treatment at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka during 27 April–19 June 2021, 12 October–3 November 2021 and again since 14 November 2021. On 9 January 2022, Zia was transferred from the coronary care unit (CCU).

On 7 January 2025, Zia went to London aboard a special air ambulance sent by the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, to seek medical treatment. On 8 January 2025, Zia was admitted to The London Clinic.

On 23 November 2025, Zia was hospitalised in "very critical" condition and was taken to the Evercare Hospital Dhaka. On 1 December 2025, the government declared her a VVIP and deployed the Special Security Force for her security. On 30 December 2025, the BNP announced that Zia died due to her prolonged illness at Evercare Hospital. She was buried the next day beside the grave of her husband, Ziaur Rahman, at Zia Udyan following a state funeral.

Reactions

=================

The country's interim leader, Muhammad Yunus, expressed "profound sorrow" at her death and declared three days of state mourning. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was "deeply saddened" by Khaleda's death and offered his "sincerest condolences" to her family and the people of Bangladesh. Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed deep sadness and described Zia as a "committed friend of Pakistan". The US embassy in Dhaka extended its condolences on Zia's death. Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu extended his condolences on her death and prayed to Allah to strengthen her family during the difficult time. Many foreign dignitaries present at the funeral of Khaleda Zia included Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan; D. N. Dhungyel, Foreign Minister of Bhutan; S. Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister of India; Bala Nanda Sharma, Foreign Minister of Nepal; Vijitha Herath, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism of Sri Lanka; and Dr. Ali Haidar Ahmed, Minister of Higher Education, Labour, and Skills Development of the Republic of Maldives.

Birth date discrepancy

=================

Zia claimed 15 August as her birthday, which was a matter of controversy in Bangladeshi politics. 15 August was the day many immediate family members of Zia's political rival, Sheikh Hasina's father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, were killed, in 1971. As a result of the deaths, 15 August was officially declared National Mourning Day of Bangladesh during the Hasina regime. None of Zia's government-issued identification documents show her birthday on 15 August. Her matriculation examination certificate lists a birth date of 9 August 1945. Her marriage certificate lists 5 September 1945. Zia's passport indicates a birth date of 5 August 1946. Kader Siddiqui, a political ally of Zia, urged her not to celebrate her birthday on 15 August.

The High Court filed a petition against Zia on this issue. In 2016, Gazi Zahirul Islam, the former joint general secretary of the Dhaka Union of Journalists, filed a case against Zia over her birthdate, accusing her of seeking to tarnish the reputation of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and family. However, she was acquitted in 2024.

Electoral history

=================

Awards and honours

=================

-
On 24 May 2011, the New Jersey State Senate honoured Zia as a "Fighter for Democracy". It was the first time the state Senate had so honoured any foreign leader and reflected the state's increasing population of immigrants and descendants from South Asia.

-
Later, on 31 July 2018, an organization named the Canadian Human Rights International Organization (CHRIO) gave her the "Mother of Democracy" award. On 8 February 2022, the BNP presented the crest and certificate given by this Canadian organization to the journalists in a press conference at the BNP Chairperson's office in Gulshan.

Eponyms

=================

-
Begum Khaleda Zia Hall, a residential hall at Islamic University, Kushtia.

-
Deshnetri Begum Khaleda Zia Hall, a residential hall at the University of Chittagong.

-
Begum Khaleda Zia Hall, a residential hall at Jahangirnagar University.

-
Begum Khaleda Zia Hall, a residential hall at the University of Rajshahi.

-
Ullah, Mahfuz (18 November 2018). Begum Khaleda Zia: Her Life Her Story. The Universal Academy. ISBN 978-984-93757-0-8.

-
S. Abdul Hakim (1992), Begum Khaleda Zia of Bangladesh – A Political Biography, Vikas Publishing House

See also

=================

-
List of international prime ministerial trips made by Khaleda Zia

References

=================

Footnotes

Citations

On 3 July 2008, during the 2007–08 caretaker government rule, the ACC had filed a graft case, accusing Zia and five others of misappropriating over Tk 2.1 crore that had come from a foreign bank as grants for orphans. According to the case, on 9 June 1991, a $1.255-million (Tk 4.45-crore) grant was transferred from United Saudi Commercial Bank to the Prime Minister's Orphanage Fund – a fund that was created by then Prime Minister Zia shortly before the transfer of the grant as part of the embezzlement scheme. On 5 September 1993, she issued a Tk 2.33-crore cheque from the Prime Minister's Orphanage Fund to the Zia Orphanage Trust on the pretext of building an orphanage in Bogra. By April 2006, the deposited amount grew to Tk 3.37 crore with accrued interest. In April, June, and July 2006, some of the money was transferred to bank accounts of three other accused – Salimul, Mominur, and Sharfuddin;– through different transactions. On 15 February 2007, Tk 2.10 crore was withdrawn through pay orders from two of the FDR accounts. Zia was accused of misappropriating that money by transferring the amount from a public fund to a private one.

On 8 February 2018, during the Awami League government's rule, Zia was sentenced to prison for five years in that corruption case. Mobile phone jammers were installed at the Bakshibazar court premises ahead of the verdict. Her party claimed that the verdict was politically biased. Zia was sent to the Old Dhaka Central Jail after the verdict. She was imprisoned as the sole inmate at the jail since all the inmates had been transferred to the newly built Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj in 2016. On 11 February 2018, Dhaka Special Judge's Court 5 directed the authorities of Dhaka Central Jail to provide first-class division to Zia. On 31 October 2018, the High Court raised her jail term to 10 years after the ACC pleaded for a revision.

On 30 October 2018, in another case, the Zia Charitable Trust graft case, Zia was sentenced to 7 years of rigorous imprisonment. Khaleda was also accused in 32 other cases, including the Gatco graft case, the Niko graft case, the Barapukuria Coalmine graft case, the Darussalam Police Station cases, the Jatrabari Police Station cases, the Sedition case, the Bomb Attack on Shipping Minister case, the Khulna Arson case, the Comilla Arson case, the Celebrating Fake Birthday case, the Undermining National Flag case, and the Loan Default case.

Zia's nomination papers to contest for the Feni-1, Bogra-6 and Bogra-7 constituencies at the 2018 general election were rejected. She was not able to contest because, according to Article 66(2)(d) of the constitution, "a person shall be disqualified for election as, or for being, a member of parliament who has been, on conviction for a criminal offence involving moral turpitude, sentenced to imprisonment for a term of not less than two years, unless a period of five years has elapsed since his/her release." Her party lost that general election to the Awami League.

Zia was admitted to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University for medical treatment on 1 April 2019. The High Court and the Supreme Court rejected her bail plea on humanitarian grounds a total of four times.

On 25 March 2020, Zia was released from prison for six months, conditioned to stay at her home in Gulshan and not leave the country. The government issued this executive decision as per section 401(1) of the Criminal Code of Procedure (CrPC). By 2021, the term of her release had been extended four times.

After the fall of the Hasina government, she was acquitted in several cases.

On 27 November 2024, Zia was acquitted in the Charitable Trust graft and Barapukuria graft cases.

On 15 January 2025, Zia was acquitted in the orphanage trust graft case.

2024 release

=================

After Sheikh Hasina was ousted as prime minister during the 2024 non-cooperation movement, on 5 August, President Mohammed Shahabuddin ordered Zia's release. Shortly afterward, she made her first public statements since 2018 from her medical confinement, during which she praised "the brave people who were in a do-or-die struggle to make possible the impossible" and urged restraint and the need for "love and peace" in rebuilding Bangladesh. On 13 August, the home ministry restored her police escort privileges that had been removed by Sheikh Hasina's government in 2015. On 19 August, Zia's bank accounts, which had been frozen since 2007, were ordered unblocked by the National Board of Revenue.

In 2025, Zia stated that she would contest the 2026 general election, announcing her candidacies for the seats of Bogra-7, Feni-1, and Dinajpur-3. However, it was also announced that the BNP's election campaign would be run under the leadership and image of her son, Tarique.

Illness and death

=================

Zia had been suffering from chronic kidney conditions, decompensated liver diseases, unstable hemoglobin, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and other age-related complications since 2021. In April 2021, several staff members in Zia's home tested positive for COVID-19. Zia was also found to have contracted the virus, but she exhibited no symptoms and recovered later. On 28 November, the medical board formed for Zia's treatment announced that she had been suffering from liver cirrhosis. A plea for her to be allowed to seek medical care abroad was denied by the court. Zia underwent treatment at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka during 27 April–19 June 2021, 12 October–3 November 2021 and again since 14 November 2021. On 9 January 2022, Zia was transferred from the coronary care unit (CCU).

On 7 January 2025, Zia went to London aboard a special air ambulance sent by the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, to seek medical treatment. On 8 January 2025, Zia was admitted to The London Clinic.

On 23 November 2025, Zia was hospitalised in "very critical" condition and was taken to the Evercare Hospital Dhaka. On 1 December 2025, the government declared her a VVIP and deployed the Special Security Force for her security. On 30 December 2025, the BNP announced that Zia died due to her prolonged illness at Evercare Hospital. She was buried the next day beside the grave of her husband, Ziaur Rahman, at Zia Udyan following a state funeral.

Reactions

=================

The country's interim leader, Muhammad Yunus, expressed "profound sorrow" at her death and declared three days of state mourning. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was "deeply saddened" by Khaleda's death and offered his "sincerest condolences" to her family and the people of Bangladesh. Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed deep sadness and described Zia as a "committed friend of Pakistan". The US embassy in Dhaka extended its condolences on Zia's death. Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu extended his condolences on her death and prayed to Allah to strengthen her family during the difficult time. Many foreign dignitaries present at the funeral of Khaleda Zia included Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan; D. N. Dhungyel, Foreign Minister of Bhutan; S. Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister of India; Bala Nanda Sharma, Foreign Minister of Nepal; Vijitha Herath, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism of Sri Lanka; and Dr. Ali Haidar Ahmed, Minister of Higher Education, Labour, and Skills Development of the Republic of Maldives.

Birth date discrepancy

=================

Zia claimed 15 August as her birthday, which was a matter of controversy in Bangladeshi politics. 15 August was the day many immediate family members of Zia's political rival, Sheikh Hasina's father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, were killed, in 1971. As a result of the deaths, 15 August was officially declared National Mourning Day of Bangladesh during the Hasina regime. None of Zia's government-issued identification documents show her birthday on 15 August. Her matriculation examination certificate lists a birth date of 9 August 1945. Her marriage certificate lists 5 September 1945. Zia's passport indicates a birth date of 5 August 1946. Kader Siddiqui, a political ally of Zia, urged her not to celebrate her birthday on 15 August.

The High Court filed a petition against Zia on this issue. In 2016, Gazi Zahirul Islam, the former joint general secretary of the Dhaka Union of Journalists, filed a case against Zia over her birthdate, accusing her of seeking to tarnish the reputation of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and family. However, she was acquitted in 2024.

Electoral history

=================

Awards and honours

=================

-

On 24 May 2011, the New Jersey State Senate honoured Zia as a "Fighter for Democracy". It was the first time the state Senate had so honoured any foreign leader and reflected the state's increasing population of immigrants and descendants from South Asia.

-

Later, on 31 July 2018, an organization named the Canadian Human Rights International Organization (CHRIO) gave her the "Mother of Democracy" award. On 8 February 2022, the BNP presented the crest and certificate given by this Canadian organization to the journalists in a press conference at the BNP Chairperson's office in Gulshan.

Eponyms

=================

-

Begum Khaleda Zia Hall, a residential hall at Islamic University, Kushtia.

-

Deshnetri Begum Khaleda Zia Hall, a residential hall at the University of Chittagong.

-

Begum Khaleda Zia Hall, a residential hall at Jahangirnagar University.

-

Begum Khaleda Zia Hall, a residential hall at the University of Rajshahi.

-

Ullah, Mahfuz (18 November 2018). Begum Khaleda Zia: Her Life Her Story. The Universal Academy. ISBN 978-984-93757-0-8.

-

S. Abdul Hakim (1992), Begum Khaleda Zia of Bangladesh – A Political Biography, Vikas Publishing House