Court Correspondent :
The Ninth Special Judge Court of Dhaka yesterday fixed February 8 for hearing on charge framing in Niko graft case against BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia and others.
Judge Sheikh Hafizur Rahman of the special judge court passed the order yesterday at the newly built courtroom in front of Keraniganj Central Jail.
Earlier, Monday was fixed for hearing on charge framing in the case, but prime accused Begum Khaleda Zia could not appear in the court on health ground and her lawyer Masud Ahmed Talukder pleaded for time. Allowing the defence plea, the court adjourned the hearing till February 8. Besides, the defence lawyer pleaded for discharging Khaleda Zia from the case.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the case against five including Begum Khaleda Zia with Tejgaon Model Police Station on December 9 in 2007, on the charge of abusing power in signing a deal with Canadian company Niko for exploring and extracting gas.
The ACC on May 5, 2008 submitted the charge-sheet against 11 including Khaleda Zia.
The other accused in the case are BNP Standing Committee member Barrister Moudud Ahmed, former State Minister for Energy AKM Mosharraf Hossain, then Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Kamal Uddin Siddiqui, former acting Secretary at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources Khandaker Shahidul Islam, former Senior Assistant Secretary CM Yusuf Hossain, former Bapex General Manager Mir Moinul Haque, former Bapex Secretary Mohammad Shafiur Rahman, businessman Gias Uddin Al Mamun, former Bagerhat MP MAH Selim and Niko’s Vice-President for South Asia Kashem Sharif.
