The High Court yesterday rejected two petitions filed by BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia seeking lower court’s records and the final report of Barapukuria coalmine graft case.
After concluding hearing on the petitions, the HC bench comprising Justice Md Nuruzzaman and Justice Abdur Rab rejected the petitions.
However, the HC bench adjourned till next Sunday the hearing on a rule issued by it earlier on the government and the ACC to explain why the case against Khaleda should not be scrapped.The BNP chief on August 18 filed the petitions with the HC in order to ascertain the legal procedure under which the Anti-Corruption Commission appointed the second investigation officer to probe the case after the first investigation officer had exempted her from the case in June 2008.
The petitions said that the ACC appointed the second investigation officer to probe the case after the first IO had exempted all the accused of charges on June 1 in 2008.
The second IO submitted charge sheet against all the accused on October 5, 2008. There is no provision for reinvestigation into a single allegation in the ACC law without any court permission, the petitions added.
The petitions also said that the ACC did not take court permission for reinvestigation into the allegation and appointing the second IO in the case.
The ACC filed the case on February 26, 2008 accusing Khaleda and 15 others of causing a loss of Tk 159 crore to the state exchequer by awarding a contract for operating Barapukuria coalmine to a Chinese company through abuse of power.
According to the case statement, the government incurred a loss of Tk 1.59 billion on the Barapukuria coalmine deal for the then government’s irregularity in it.
Later, the HC stayed the case proceedings and issued a rule asking the government and ACC to explain why the case proceedings against Khaleda should not be scrapped. But, in a recent move by the ACC the HC started the hearing on the rule.
Advocate Khurshid Alam Khan appeared for the ACC. – Staff Reporter
