A court here on Monday granted conditional bail to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in the much-talked-about Niko graft case. Judge Mohammad Aminul Islam of Special Judge’s Court-9 passed the order after Khaleda Zia surrendered before his court around 12:15pm and submitted the petition seeking bail. The court fixed December 28 as the next date for hearing on the case. Earlier on June 18, the High Court rejected a petition filed by Khaleda challenging the legality of the Niko graft case against her. An HC bench comprising Justice Md Nuruzzaman and Justice Zafar Ahmed passed the order. The bench also asked the former prime minister to surrender before the court within two months of receiving the court order. ACC lawyer M Khurshed Alam Khan told reporters that with the rejection of the petition by the HC there remains no legal bar to continuation of trial proceedings in the graft case against Khaleda. On May 28, the bench concluded the hearing on the petition. The ACC on December 9, 2007 filed the Niko graft case against Khaleda and four others in connection with a Tk 137.77 loss of the national exchequer caused by the signing of an oil-gas exploration agreement with the Canadian company Niko during the previous BNP regime. Later on May 5, 2008, it submitted a chargesheet against 11 people. Khaleda filed the petition with the HC challenging the legality of the case against her. Later on July 9, 2008, the High Court adjourned the case proceedings. –Dhaka, Nov 30 (UNB)
