To go abroad, Khaleda has to first return to jail: Law minister
The law minister said no disposed application can be reviewed according to section 401 of the Code of Criminal Procedure
To go abroad for better treatment, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia first has to make a fresh application by going back to jail, said Law Minister Anisul Huq.
"Nothing can be done now as the matter has already been settled," the law minister said in parliament on Tuesday in reply to BNP lawmaker Rumeen Farhana's statement.
Taking part in a discussion about the Leader and Deputy Leader of the Opposition (Remuneration and Privileges) Bill, 2021, Rumeen Farhana said, "If the government wants, it can allow the BNP leader to travel out of the country for medical treatment, considering her physical condition. The government has the authority to provide such opportunity under section 401 of the Code of Criminal Procedure."
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Responding to her, the law minister said no disposed application can be reviewed according to section 401 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
"The government granted Khaleda a temporary release on condition that she remain at her home and receive treatment inside the country," Anisul Huq said.
"If Khaleda wants to go abroad, she will have to go back to jail and submit a new application. Only then can the government reconsider the matter," he added.
Earlier, on Thursday, Khaleda's younger brother Shamim Iskander submitted an application again urging the government to allow the ailing former prime minister to go abroad for advanced treatment.
In the application, he pleaded with the government to cooperate in sending Khaleda abroad, either by granting her bail through the court or by giving her permission.
Khaleda's personal medical team member, Dr AZM Zahid Hossain, said it is the fifth time the BNP chief's family has sought the government's permission to take her abroad.
Khaleda has been undergoing treatment in the coronary care unit of Evercare Hospital in the capital. On Saturday, she was readmitted to the hospital for follow-up treatment, nearly a week after she was discharged from there.
The BNP chief's physicians said her blood sugar is out of control and her blood haemoglobin level has dropped.
Earlier, amid the Covid-19 outbreak, the government freed Khaleda from jail for six months by an executive order suspending her sentences on 25 March last year.
