Court Correspondent :
A Dhaka court yesterday fixed March 13 for hearing on charge framing in the Gatco graft case against BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia and others.
Acting Judge Nazrul Islam of the Special Judge Court-3 of Dhaka also exempted Khaleda Zia from personal appearance in the case.
The court issued the order in response to the plea of the defense.
Earlier, Sunday was set for hearing on charge framing, but prime accused Begum Khaleda Zia could not appear in
the court on health ground, allowing her counsels plead for time. The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the case against 13 people including Begum Khaleda Zia and her younger son Arafat Rahman on September 2, 2007, with Tejgaon Model Police Station for their role in the corruption regarding penning a contract with Global Agro Trade (Private) Co Limited (Gatco) for container management at inland container depots in Dhaka and Chattogram.
Formal charge was submitted against 24 people on May 13, 2008. Of the 24 accused, six including Arafat, Saifur Rahman and Matiur Rahman Nizami have died so far.
Khaleda Zia is in jail since February 8, 2018, the day she was convicted in a graft case. She was shifted to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital on April 1, 2019.
On March 25, last year, following the outbreak of corona-virus in the country, the government suspended Khaleda Zia’s prison term by an executive order and released Khaleda Zia for six months on the conditions that she would receive treatment at home and would not travel abroad. Later, the suspension of the prison term was extended by another six months.
