UNB, Dhaka :The High Court on Sunday turned down two petitions filed by BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia seeking all records of and the final report on Barapukuria coalmine graft case from the authorities concerned.An HC bench, comprising Justice Md Nuruzzaman and Justice Abdur Rab, passed the order. Barrister Raghib Rauf Chowdhury stood for the BNP chief, while Khurshid Alam Khan represented the Anti Corruption Commission.Raghib Rauf said, the hearing on the long-pending rule seeking to quash the Barapukuria coalmine case against BNP chairperson will be held on Monday. On 26 February 2008, the ACC filed the Barapukuria coalmine graft case against 16 people, including former prime minister Khaleda Zia.According to the case statement, the government incurred a loss of Tk 1.59 billion on the Barapukuria coalmine deal for the then government’ s irregularity in it. Responding to a petition filed by Khaleda, the HC on October 16, 2008, stayed the case proceedings for three months and issued a rule asking the ACC to explain why the case should not be quashed. The trial process came to a halt when the stay order was upheld following an appeal. Following a petition of the Anti Corruption Commission, the High court revived the case on March 2.
