সোমবার, ১৫ই এপ্রিল, ২০২৪ খ্রিস্টাব্দ ২রা বৈশাখ, ১৪৩১ বঙ্গাব্দ

Niko graft case: charge framing hearing against Khaleda adjourned till November 24

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A Dhaka court today adjourned the hearing on charge framing against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and nine others in Niko graft case till November 24.

Judge Sheikh Hafizur Rahman of the Special Judge’s Court-9 of Dhaka passed the order after Khaleda’s lawyer submitted a petition seeking an adjournment of the hearing.

In the petition, the lawyer said Khaleda Zia, who is now free following an executive order from the government, is sick and did not come out of her residence due to coronavirus pandemic. So, the hearing should be adjourned, advocate Zia Uddin, one of her lawyers, confirmed to The Daily Star.

Meantime, one of the accused in the case — former state minister for energy and BNP leader AKM Mosharraf Hossain — died of coronavirus on October 17, his lawyer informed to the court.

The judge, however, asked his lawyer to submit a death certificate to it the next scheduled date.

Three accused, including Giausuddin Al Mamun, now in jail, were present at the makeshift court of Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the case in December 2007, accusing Khaleda and several others of abusing power to award a gas exploration and extraction deal to Canadian company Niko when she was prime minister between 2001 and 2006.

The anti-graft body pressed charges against Khaleda and 10 others in May 2008. Two months later the High Court stayed the proceedings of the case.

On June 18 of 2015, the HC cleared the way for the trial proceedings to resume and ordered the BNP chief to surrender before the trial court within two months after a copy of the HC verdict reached it.

Former law minister Moudud Ahmed, former acting energy secretary Khandaker Shahidul Islam and Kashem Sharif, vice-president (South Asia) of Niko Resources Bangladesh Ltd, are also accused in the case.