Court Correspondent :
A Dhaka court on Tuesday adjourned the hearing on charge framing against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and 15 others in Gatco graft case until June 5.
Judge Muhammad Ali Hussain of the Special Judge Court-3 of Dhaka passed the order after a petition on behalf of Begum Khaleda Zia was submitted, seeking an adjournment of the hearing, Masud Ahmed Talukder, one of her lawyers of the BNP leader said.
The court also directed the defense to submit a death certificate of accused Lutful Kabir during the next hearing as he died earlier.
With this, the judge adjourned the hearing for 39 times for different reasons. In
The petition, the lawyer said that they were yet to see some documents seized by the Investigation Officer during the investigation. So, the hearing should be adjourned, the defense lawyer added.
Earlier, Khaleda Zia’s personal appearance was exempted and Advocate Masud Talukder represented her in her absence.
Eleven accused, including Khondaker Mosharraf Hossain and Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, now on bail, were present in the court. Other accused were absent and their lawyers submitted time petitions for their non-appearance in the court on Tuesday.
On September 2, 2007, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the case with Tejgaon Model Police Station against Khaleda Zia and several others on the charge of misappropriating around Tk 1,000 crore while dealing with Global Agro Trade (Private) Company Limited (Gatco).
On May 13, 2008, the anti-graft body ACC pressed charges against the former premier and 23 others.
Meanwhile, names of eight other accused people, including Khaleda Zia’s son Arafat Rahman Koko, were dropped from the charge sheet following their deaths on different dates.
