Staff Reporter :
The High Court (HC) on Tuesday stayed the trial proceedings of Niko case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.
The HC Bench of Justice Sheikh Abdul Awal and Justice Md Khashruzzaman passed the order upon a petition filed by Khaleda Zia
seeking a stay on the trial proceedings of the case. Barrister Moudud Ahmed and Barrister A M Mahbub Uddin Khokan took part in the hearing on behalf of Khaleda Zia, while Advocate Khurshed Alam Khan stood for the ACC.
The Anti-Corruption Commission’s lawyer Khurshed Alam Khan told the reporters that the Commission will move a petition in the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court (SC) challenging the HC order.
The Anti-Corruption Commission filed the Niko graft case on December 9 in 2007 against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and four others on charge of incurring a loss of Tk 13,777 crore to the State Exchequer by awarding a gas exploration and extraction deal to Canadian company Niko when they were in power between 2001 and 2006.
The anti-graft body pressed charges against Khaleda and 10 others in May 2008. Two months later, the High Court stayed the proceedings of the case. On June 18 last year, the HC cleared the way for the trial proceedings to resume.
Former Law Minister Barrister Moudud Ahmed, former State Minister for Energy A K M Mosharraf Hossain, former Acting Energy Secretary Khandaker Shahidul Islam and Vice-President (South Asia) of Niko Resources Bangladesh Ltd Kashem Sharif have also been sued in the case.
The High Court (HC) on Tuesday stayed the trial proceedings of Niko case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.
The HC Bench of Justice Sheikh Abdul Awal and Justice Md Khashruzzaman passed the order upon a petition filed by Khaleda Zia
seeking a stay on the trial proceedings of the case. Barrister Moudud Ahmed and Barrister A M Mahbub Uddin Khokan took part in the hearing on behalf of Khaleda Zia, while Advocate Khurshed Alam Khan stood for the ACC.
The Anti-Corruption Commission’s lawyer Khurshed Alam Khan told the reporters that the Commission will move a petition in the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court (SC) challenging the HC order.
The Anti-Corruption Commission filed the Niko graft case on December 9 in 2007 against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and four others on charge of incurring a loss of Tk 13,777 crore to the State Exchequer by awarding a gas exploration and extraction deal to Canadian company Niko when they were in power between 2001 and 2006.
The anti-graft body pressed charges against Khaleda and 10 others in May 2008. Two months later, the High Court stayed the proceedings of the case. On June 18 last year, the HC cleared the way for the trial proceedings to resume.
Former Law Minister Barrister Moudud Ahmed, former State Minister for Energy A K M Mosharraf Hossain, former Acting Energy Secretary Khandaker Shahidul Islam and Vice-President (South Asia) of Niko Resources Bangladesh Ltd Kashem Sharif have also been sued in the case.
