Dhaka, April 24 – The Special Judge Court-9 of Dhaka on Tuesday fixed May 6 to hold next hearing on the charge framing in the Niko Graft case against BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia and 10 others.
Judge Sheikh Hafizur Rahman of the court deferred the date of hearing following the time petition filed by Khaleda Zia’s lawyers. But the accused in the case couldn’t appear before the court yesterday due to her illness.
BNP leader Khaleda Zia, convicted in Zia Orphanage and Zia Charitable Trusts graft cases, has been undergoing treatment at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) since April 1.
Earlier on March 19, Khaleda Zia came to the court in a wheelchair around 12:40 pm.
On March 3, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia told a local court that jail authorities did not produce her for trial in Niko graft case on February 20.
On that day, a Dhaka court fixed March 19 to hold a hearing on the charge framing in the Niko graft case.
On the day, during charge hearing, jail authorities said Khaleda Zia could not be produced as she “did not wake up from sleep”.
Apart from BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, former Law Minister Barrister Moudud Ahmed, former secretaries Md Shafiur Rahman, Khondker Shahidul Islam, CM Yusuf Hossain and former President of
Dhaka Club Selim Bhuiyan are among the prime accused of the case.
The other three accused persons- former secretary Kamal Uddin Siddiqui, former General Manager of Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Limited (BAPEX) Meer Moinul Haque and Niko South Asia Affairs Vice President Kashem Sharif are absconding.
In December 2007, the Anti-Corruption Commission-ACC filed the case accusing 11 persons over misusing power to grant a gas deal to Canadian company Niko when Khaleda Zia was the Prime Minister of the country between 2001 and 2006.
Khaleda Zia has been serving her 10 years’ prison-term in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case since February 8, 2018. – Court Correspondent
