Court Correspondent
BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia will not appear to the court today (Monday) in the Niko graft case for personal reasons. Her lawyer Advocate Sanaullah Mia disclosed this to newsmen on Sunday morning.On June 18, 2015, the High Court Division cleared the way to resume trial proceeding against Khaleda Zia and others in the Niko graft case filed by the ACC in 2007.
The bench comprising of Justice Md Nuruzzaman and Justice Zafar Ahmed also ordered the BNP Chief to surrender to the trial court within two months after its verdict reaches the trial court.
Later, a Dhaka court granted Khaleda Zia bail in the case after she appeared to the court. Judge Mohammad Aminul Islam of the Special Judge Court-9 granted bail and fixed December 28 for hearing on charge framing in the case.
On December 9, 2007, the Anti Corruption Commission filed the case with Tejgaon Police Station against five people, including Khaleda Zia, accusing them of causing a loss of Tk 137.77 billion to the national exchequer, signing oil-gas exploration agreements with Canadian company Niko when she was the Prime Minister of the country between 200 and 2006. Later, on May 5, 2008, the charge sheet of the case submitted to the court against 11 people.
