Court Correspondent :
BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia’s defence yesterday submitted a petition seeking exemption from her personal appearance in Niko graft case.
Besides, they filed three more petitions, one is her
absence from the court, seeking adjournment of charge hearing and the other for examining seized documents by the Investigation Officer (IO) were also submitted on behalf of the BNP Chairperson.
Advocate Masud Ahmed Talukder, one of Khaleda’s lawyers, told the court that she is ill and cannot come out of her home due to Covid-19 pandemic. He appealed to the court to exempt her from personal attendance in the case.
ACC Public Prosecutor Mosharraf Hossain Kajol did not oppose although charge framing hearing was earlier adjourned on 34 dates due to her absence.
After hearing both sides, Judge Sheikh Hafizur Rahman of the Special Judge’s Court-9 of Dhaka said he would pass an order later on the petition that sought exemption from her personal appearance. The judge also fixed March 2 for next hearing in the case.
The court also allowed the defence to examine for two days the documents seized by the Investigation Officer of the case during the investigation.
Giausuddin Al Mamun, known to be a close friend of BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman, is now in the jail. He was produced before the makeshift court of Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj on Tuesday.
Khaleda Zia is now in her house following an executive order from the government while BNP leader Moudud Ahmed and three others are now on bail. And three others have been absconding since the case was filed against them.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the case on December 9 of 2007, accusing her of awarding a gas exploration and extraction deal to the Canadian company Niko when she was the Prime Minister between 2001 and 2006.
One of the accused in the case, former State Minister for energy and BNP leader AKM Mosharraf Hossain died of Corona-Virus on October 17 last year.
