Staff Reporter :
A Dhaka court set up inside Keraniganj Central Jail on Sunday adjourned the hearing of the Niko case against Khaleda Zia till August 27.
Judge of the Special Court 9 of Dhaka Sheikh Md Hafuzur Rahman passed the order after hearing a time prayer placed by the Khaleda Zia’s lawyers.
Advocate Zainul Abedin Mesbah and Advocate Zakir Hossain appeared in the court on behalf of Khaleda Zia.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the case in December 2007 over charges that Khaleda Zia and several others abused power to award a gas exploration and extraction deal to Canadian company Niko when she was Prime Minister between 2001 and 2006.
Former Law Minister 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 were also sued in the case.
On June 23, a High Court (HC) bench refused to hear a writ petition filed by BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia challenging the legality
of the government notification that said, the Niko case trial against her will be held at a special court inside the Keraniganj Central Jail.
The bench of Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury and Justice Md Ashraful Kamal removed the petition from its cause-list after the ACC’s lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan told the court that it had no jurisdiction to hear any petition involving the commission.
On May 12, the Law Ministry issued the gazette notification, saying that trials of 17 criminal cases, including the Niko, against the BNP Chairperson would be held at a special court set up in the building-2 of Keraniganj Central Jail for security reasons.
A Dhaka court set up inside Keraniganj Central Jail on Sunday adjourned the hearing of the Niko case against Khaleda Zia till August 27.
Judge of the Special Court 9 of Dhaka Sheikh Md Hafuzur Rahman passed the order after hearing a time prayer placed by the Khaleda Zia’s lawyers.
Advocate Zainul Abedin Mesbah and Advocate Zakir Hossain appeared in the court on behalf of Khaleda Zia.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the case in December 2007 over charges that Khaleda Zia and several others abused power to award a gas exploration and extraction deal to Canadian company Niko when she was Prime Minister between 2001 and 2006.
Former Law Minister 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 were also sued in the case.
On June 23, a High Court (HC) bench refused to hear a writ petition filed by BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia challenging the legality
of the government notification that said, the Niko case trial against her will be held at a special court inside the Keraniganj Central Jail.
The bench of Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury and Justice Md Ashraful Kamal removed the petition from its cause-list after the ACC’s lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan told the court that it had no jurisdiction to hear any petition involving the commission.
On May 12, the Law Ministry issued the gazette notification, saying that trials of 17 criminal cases, including the Niko, against the BNP Chairperson would be held at a special court set up in the building-2 of Keraniganj Central Jail for security reasons.
